《The Transmigrated Professor》 Chapter 1: My Not-So-Ordinary New Life I, Happy, was an ordinary man, who studied in an ordinary school, graduated from an ordinary college, and worked an ordinary job in an ordinary company. So how did the most unordinary thing happen to me? One night, I was heading back home, after having a few drinks with my colleagues. Suddenly, a message notification pinged my phone. It didn¡¯t have the sender''s name on it and contained just one line. I just thought of it as spam and swiped the message away. But it popped up again. I tried swiping it away again but this time it just stuck to the screen. In frustration I tried to click ''NO'', but my drunken fingers fumbled and pressed the ''YES'' button. As soon as I pressed the button, the street lights started flickering. A sudden pain emerged from my chest. I clenched my heart and started hyperventilating. I tried to call for help but no soul passed the deserted roads. I lay down on the asphalt gasping for air as my vision started to dwindle. ***** When I opened my eyes, I was laying down on a bed. A soft blanket covered my body. Rays of light penetrated the room. Thankfully it looked like someone had noticed my collapsed body and called an ambulance. I sat up and looked around. But instead of the normal hospital rooms what greeted me was a fancy bedroom. It seemed that the hospital staff had mistaken his identity and put him in one of the VIP rooms. I hurriedly got out of bed to find a nurse, but as soon as I stepped on the floor a horrible pain erupted in my head. Memories that weren¡¯t mine started flooding into my head. When the pain subsided, a status screen appeared in front of me.
Name: Ray Laxon Title: The Otherworlder Rank: C Stats:
  • Strength 3
  • Stamina 3.3
  • Agility 3.4
  • Perception 5.6
  • Magic Power 7.1
  • Intelligence 8.8 ¡ú5.5
  • Charm 7.7
===Memory Synchronisation: 100% === Abilities:
  • Hand-to-Hand Combat (¡ï¡ï¡ï):
Coordinates the body for easy movements and helps the user to use their body to fight more efficiently. Allows the user to easily learn basic martial art techniques. As mastery increases, it will allow the user to subconsciously dodge dangers. [Beginner Level]
  • Brahma Sword Art (¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î):
A sword art that was created to create. With each swing, the user can materialise their mana. Upon mastery, the user will be able to materialise mana into their surroundings and change the terrain temporarily. [Beginner Level] Skills:
  • Appraisal (EX):
Allows the user to check the status of a selected target. The more mana that is used, the more details will be displayed.
Seeing the status screen in front of me and combing through my new memories, I was able to figure out that the original owner of this body was Ray Laxon, a professor at the Star Academy. But the weird thing was that the names Laxon and Star Academy were familiar to me. I sat up on the bed and racked through all my old memories. Finally, the answer popped into my head. Star Academy was the most famous Hero Cadet Academy in one of the fantasy novels I had once read. One of my friends was a web novelist and his first novel was ¡°The Blood-Drowned Reincarnator¡±. In the novel, the human world was being invaded by the Demon Lord and his troops, and the protagonist had to go through a series of trials in the Star Academy to grow stronger and defeat the Demon Lord. I looked around and found a full-length mirror. ¡°Ray¡± seemed to be a very tall and slim man with blue eyes and messy dark blue hair, giving him a nerdy look. His looks were good enough to rival the most handsome men around the world in my previous life. It seemed weird to call it my previous life, considering it hadn¡¯t even been an hour since I remember getting that weird message, followed by my heart attack. ¡°Whoever sent that message must have been the reason I got transported into this novel and woke up in this body.¡± While I was contemplating my current condition, an alarm started ringing. I turned my head and saw a smartwatch ringing on the side table beside the bed. I picked it up and a hologram popped out. ¡°Right, I forgot. This novel was supposed to have a futuristic setting.¡± According to my memories, the alarm was so that I could get up for the orientation today at the Star Academy. The professors had to meet up at the office at 7.15AM. It was currently 6AM. Ray¡¯s house was kind of plain. Despite its grandiose walls and ceiling, the furniture was kept to a minimum. The house consisted of a living room, a kitchen, one bedroom, an office filled with many documents, and a training facility that was equipped with its own gravity room. Since I needed to go to the morning meeting, I decided to take a shower. After freshening up, I checked the closet. Have to say, the previous owner of this body didn¡¯t have much of a fashion sense. The closet was filled with shirts and trousers that would probably be in the wardrobe of a 70-year old man. After much thought, I decided on a white shirt and black pants. Ray¡¯s figure was good enough to make me look like a professional model out for a shoot. I got out of the house at 6.45AM. The house was located on the fourth floor of the professor¡¯s dorm building. It had a total of 50 floors, a residency for hundreds of faculty members, and an entire floor dedicated to training. Nothing less to be expected from the Star Academy, the greatest Hero Academy. The entire institute was about 28000 acres large with student dorms and training halls. It also included a large Coliseum where duels between students, and sometimes professors, were conducted almost daily. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Following Ray¡¯s memories, I navigated my way through the premises. On the way, I read more about Star Academy and this world on my smartwatch. In the year 1960, about seventy years ago, the demon realm invaded the planet. Fighting the demons came various creatures such as elves, dwarves, orcs and merfolk. At the same time, there was a major change in the Earth¡¯s mantle causing a planet-wide tectonic shift. The world map, as humanity knew it, was destroyed leaving behind five major continents and various islands between them. The elves, dwarves, orcs and merfolk, who were stronger than humanity at the time, took away 4 of the newly formed continents, leaving humanity with less than a fifth of their land. Following this catastrophe, many Dungeons, rifts in space that lead to magical locations, opened up in various places on the new Earth. As humanity explored these Dungeons, they found flora and fauna that had never been seen before. Magic power, or mana, was abundant in these Dungeons and they gave rise to Awakened beings among humanity. As the Awakened were made known to their power, they entered these Dungeons and brought back treasures that advanced humanity by decades. Finally, after seventy years, humanity had gotten back on track, and reached the level of the beings that had invaded them decades ago. The Awakened beings were regarded as Heroes, and the best of them set up 5 major cities on their continent. Capital City was the most central and largest of them all. Following it was, Aquilo City to the North, Auster City to the South, Solanus City to the East and Aqua City to the West. To regulate the Awakened Beings, the Heroes set up a governing organisation, The Hero League, in Capital City, which is where the majority of the story takes place. Following the League, many large and small guilds were established, privately owned by the first of humanity¡¯s Heroes. But where there is light, there is darkness. Some of the Awakened Beings believed that humanity would perish at the hands of demons, and thus they joined hands with the demonic beings. The Hero League deemed them to be the Fallen and set bounties on all of them. The Fallen struck back and rose again in the form of The Chaos Alliance. The Star Academy was established about 20 years ago, to train new Awakened and raise them to be greater Heroes than their predecessors. Its students and professors were all the creams of the crop. There are about 1500 students in the first year, but the student numbers dwindle after that since many students are either held back or choose to drop out due to the harsh curriculum, leaving less than half that many students to graduate during their third year. The professors here were all Heroes, personally evaluated by the Principal, who was one of the first generations to have Awakened and is in the Top 25 of the Hero Rankings, evaluated by the Hero League. Ray Luxor, on the other hand, was someone who barely made it into the Hero Rankings. The only reason he was given a job as a temporary professor was because of his significant achievements in the field of mana theory. Otherwise, a Rank C Hero would never have been given a chance to teach at the Star Academy. After touring the Academy for half an hour, I went to the main building. It was a wide seven-storey building. The first-year professor¡¯s staff room was on the first floor. As soon as I entered the room, I was hit with a strong Aura. My knees buckled under the pressure. A man with black hair caught me as I fell to the ground. ¡°Oh no, Mr. Laxon. I am sorry for not holding back my aura. You see, our staff room usually only has Ranks B+ and above, so we don¡¯t have to worry about Rank C heroes fainting.¡± The professor in question was James Lanton, an A+ rank hero and ranked in the top 500 of the Hero Rankings. He¡¯s one of the instructors for the first years and is famous for his nasty personality among the staff. For him, there wasn¡¯t a difference between anyone below Rank B and an insect crawling in the mud. In my newly acquired memories, James would never stop putting down Ray, constantly bullying him due to his low rank. Even some of the staff shared his ideals, so they did nothing to stop him. ¡®Sigh. You had a tough life, didn¡¯t you, Ray?¡¯ But I didn¡¯t have low self-esteem as the previous Ray did. I stood up and straightened my trousers. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sir Lanton. We all make mistakes. It¡¯s only human.¡± I looked him straight in the eyes. The corner of his right eye twitched. James hated nothing more than to be associated with the lowlives below him. But what surprised him most more was the fact that the usual Ray Laxon, who usually had hunched shoulders and scared eyes, as if he was afraid of everyone''s gazes, was looking at him directly. A low-life like him was looking at him, an A+ Rank directly. He wanted to put this guy back in his place. But right at that moment, a woman entered the staff room. The woman had a gorgeous face with an hourglass figure. Her straight blonde hair reaching her waist, looked like a river made from melted gold. Her monolid green eyes looked as if they could steal away all secrets leaving you bare in front of their owner. She was a Rank S+ Hero and in the Top 100 of the Hero Rankings, Misa Amore. Before she became a professor at the Star Academy, she was one of the most public-renowned Heroes in Capital City, no, on the entire continent, famous for both her world-class beauty and many achievements as a Hero. Three years ago, there was a huge commotion in the media when she declared that she was retiring from her being an active Hero at the age of 30. Despite being a teacher now, she still had many connections at the League and would even help them from time-to-time. ¡°Sir James, does there seem to be some sort of problem?¡±, her cold voice echoed throughout the staff room, grabbing the attention of every person present in the room. James immediately flustered. ¡°O-of course not, Ms. Amore. I-i was just helping Mr. Laxon out.¡±, he stuttered in front of the S+ Rank Hero. ¡°Well then, please start getting ready for the morning meeting. We have much to do before the orientation event for the first-years begins.¡± Ms. Misa approached her desk and put down the papers she was holding. Everybody around her started hurriedly arranging the documents for the orientation event that will be discussed today. I remembered this event. It was the event where the novel began. The protagonist, Rhian Vermilion, had entered the Academy as the top student. To the League and the Guilds, this was quite a surprise since Rhian had no connection to a high-standing family, who provided their children and the people they sponsored with the best of resources. This news had given much fuel to the media industry. Provocative headlines such as ¡°A Commoner Surpassing the Nobles.¡± and more had circulated the news for a good while. Fifteen minutes later, all the professors, including me, met up in the meeting room. We sat at a long table with the staff head, Lia Zachen, sitting at the head of the table. A hologram projector was placed in front of her. She switched it on, and three virtual screens appeared floating in the air. Three students, two boys and one girl, were displayed on the screen with their details along with their photos. ¡°In front of you, are the top three students for this year¡¯s entrance exams. Rank #1 Rhian Vermillion. Rank #2 Luke Vestillo. Rank #3 Rachel Briar I am pretty sure you all know that representatives of many guilds would be joining us today in an attempt to gain more information on our first years, especially these three. So I would like to make sure that there are no faults in our security.¡± As one of the professors gave her a report, I looked at the other Hero Cadets displayed on the screen. Luke Vestillo was the main rival in the novel, ¡°The Blood-Drowned Reincarnator¡±.He was also the heir to The Shadow Guild, the #3 Guild on the human continent. Ever since young, he was given the best of everything, making him think he was some sort of a ¡°Chosen One¡±. But Rhian gaining the top rank was a big blow to his over-inflated ego. This caused him and his underlings to constantly pick fights with the protagonist during his time at The Star Academy. Rachel Briar, on the other hand, was the granddaughter of Rufus Briar, the #1 Hero and head of Hero League. She was also the female lead of the novel. When she was just eleven years old, her family was attacked by one of the executives of The Chaos Alliance, killing both her parents and leaving her toddler brother with a curse that made him unable to use mana for life. Her grandfather tried everything to help her brother but to no avail. So she made a vow at her parents¡¯ funeral to become strong enough so that she could bring her parents¡¯ killer to his knees and torture him into telling her the cure for the curse. As I stared at the screen, a slight pain irritated my eyes.I rubbed my eyes to bring them back to normal. Before I knew it, the meeting was over, with Miss Lia assigning duties to some of the senior and higher Ranking professors.Since I was a relatively new professor, and hadn''t even been on campus for a week, I hadn''t been given responsibilities. I went back to my desk as the professors around me started getting ready for the orientation.Still being a bit uncomfortable with my new environment, I went out of the staff room.Outside, I could see students arriving. They were heading towards the Academy Coliseum where the orientation was going to take place.I started walking towards the humongous building. The location where it all started. Chapter 2: The Orientation Event The Academy Coliseum was as big, if not larger, than the Roman Colosseum, being able to hold more than 50,000 people. Unlike the weathered Wonder from my past life, this amphitheatre was constructed with modern technology. Several gigantic screens were floating in the air that directly displayed the podium to the audience. Despite it being early in the morning, several professors and other faculty members were rushing about, to check the final preparations. On noticing me arriving, some of the gossipy cleaners started whispering amongst themselves. ¡°Look! Isn¡¯t that Ray Laxon, the Rank C Hero that got into Star Academy through the backdoor?¡± ¡°So what if he is the son of the head of the Aurum Guild? How can they let such a person into the prestigious Star Academy, even if it''s as a temporary professor position.¡± From the whispers, one name particularly stood out to me. I hadn¡¯t had the time to go through all of my newly-acquired memories, so I wasn¡¯t able to properly remember where I had heard the name ¡®Laxon¡¯. The whispers provided me with the answer. The Aurum Guild. It was a famous, or rather infamous, name in the novel. The Aurum Guild currently held quite a lot of power in the human world, being the #5 Guild in the world. It had a contract with many Rank A and Rank S Heroes, and also had access to many high Rank Dungeons. But this won¡¯t be the case for long. In a year or two, The Aurum Guild would horribly fail in a top-class Dungeon, dealing a heavy blow to its reputation. While the head of the Guild, Heron Laxon, was dealing with the consequences of this, an article was released on his son making deals with the Fallen, dropping the guild¡¯s reputation even more. The Hero League finally used all their power to bring down the Aurum Guild and arrest the Laxon family for associating with The Chaos Alliance, executing them later. Heron Laxon¡¯s son, at that time, escaped the arrest and joined the ranks of The Fallen. Later on, he became one of the primary antagonists Rhian would have to face during his path to kill the Demon Lord. Looking at Ray¡¯s previous personality, it wasn¡¯t likely he was the son in question. The only other person was Edward Martin, the love child of Heron Laxon. Contrary to the rumours, Ray did enter the Academy through the proper procedures. And despite being the legitimate son of Heron Laxon, his father held no particular affection for Ray and his sister. Heron Laxon had a typical political marriage with Ray¡¯s mother, Liliana, and thus showed complete indifference to both her children. Holding no affection for her, he brought in a paramour, Rosamund Martin, and had a son with her, showering the child with all his love. Liliana didn¡¯t have any sort of infatuation with Heron either. Instead, she used his name and money to become one of the top socialites in modern high society, leaving both her children on their own, with no one to care for them. I was in no hurry to give up on my new life, having died just recently, and since the article relating to The Chaos Society would be released within a year, it would be best if I distanced, possibly ousted myself from the family as soon as possible. While I was thinking about the possible ways I could leave behind the Laxon family, the Coliseum was slowly filling up. The second and third years entered in groups, while the first years nervously joined them, looking around for famous faces. The Guild representatives scanned the seats for potential Top Heroes. Though, of course, Rhian was their topmost priority, since he was from a ¡®commoner¡¯ family, with no special connections, and could easily be leased in, unlike the other two top Cadets, since they were already affiliated with their respective families and Guilds. I went and stood in the section where the new professors were assigned. Aside from me, there was a new female instructor, Miss Anne Stone, a Rank A Hero, and Sir Harris Grant, the professor for Alchemy and a Rank B Hero. ¡®If I remembered correctly, in the original novel, one of the new professors was a spy sent by The Chaos Alliance.¡¯ It was never revealed who it was, so I wasn''t sure which one it was. Guess I would need to keep an eye out for both of them. As the Orientation began, I shifted my attention to the podium at the centre of the Coliseum. The Director, Jaoquin Hernando, a Rank S+ Hero, was standing there. You could tell from his strong Aura that he was on the verge of breaking to SS Rank, the rank humanity deemed akin to godhood. Although he was 86 years old, he looked like someone who had just entered his forties. Mana really was an extraordinary force, allowing a man to defy age like that. His black hair didn¡¯t show a hint of greyness, that used to be common among the men in my previous world. He began his speech. ¡°Welcome dear students, to the Star Academy. For the next three years, you will be trained here as the next Heroes, so that one day you can protect humanity and carry it to greater heights.¡± ¡°Now, I would like to present to you the Top 3 first-year Hero Cadets. Oh and before I forget, I would also like to remind the Guilds that it is unethical to scout new Cadets until they enter their final year. I request you all to maintain the current decorum.¡± After a short applause from the audience, the Director promptly exited the stage. Replacing him, arrived three students in blue uniforms, issued by the Star Academy. In Star Academy each year was represented by a different colour. Blue for the first years, white for the second years, and the third years were given red coloured uniforms. All three first years were absolutely captivating. Their looks could have rivalled the best K-Pop idols back in my previous life. Rhian, with his dirty blonde hair and golden eyes, stood in the front, smiling and waving at the crowds. ¡°Oh my, look at him. He¡¯s so handsome.¡± ¡°I know right? Rhian¡¯s looks can rival even Luke Vestillo¡¯s.¡± Many of the girls whispered among themselves. Not that it mattered, since Awakened Beings had sensitive hearing. Beside Rhian, Luke frowned in the direction where the voices came from, quickly silencing them. Even with a scowl on his face, nobody could deny his great looks, paired with his midnight black hair and eyes, giving him a cool playboy vibe. Following the other two, Rachel Briar got up on the podium, with a stiff look on her face. Her platinum blond hair, dyed red at the tips, fluttered behind her. Her green almond-shaped eyes, flighted in her sockets, wary of everything. If one didn¡¯t look past her beauty, they would have never noticed the hints of stage-fright in the expression. As I was admiring the characters my friend had written, my eyes again began to itch. I rubbed my eyes, but the pain continued to persist. It seemed something was burning them and tears started pooling in my eyes. As soon as I thought I was gonna start to cry, the pain went away and my eyes started clearing up. But not everything had gone back to normal. Three screens floated in front of the main characters.
Name: Rhian Vermilion Title: Reincarnator Rank: D The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Stats:
  • Strength 3.5
  • Stamina 3.1
  • Agility 3.3
  • Perception 4.3
  • Magic Power 4.2
  • Intelligence 5.5
  • Charm 8.2
Abilities:
  • Demonic Dance Sword Art(¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï): A sword art created to absorb demonic energies strengthening the user during battle. The sword contains 99 different stances. As the user progresses power is added to the sword. This sword has been widely infamous for killing its user when they did too high a number of stances for their body to endure. [Intermediate Level]
  • Heavenly Cloud(¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î): A cloud forms under the user¡¯s shoes increasing his mobility. As mastery over the ability increases, the cloud will allow the user to fly in the sky and develop a pseudo-ego to facilitate in battle without making active decisions. [Beginner Level]
Skills:
  • Blood Domination(S): Allows the user to manipulate their own and others¡¯ blood to their own will depending on the magic they have.
  • Blood Absorption (S): Allows the user to absorb the memories and powers of a target temporarily by drinking their blood. Every litre of blood allows the user to borrow their powers for an hour.
Name: Luke Vestillo Rank: D Stats:
  • Strength 3.1
  • Stamina 3.2
  • Agility 3.7
  • Perception 4.5
  • Magic Power 4.7
  • Intelligence 6
  • Charm 8.1
Abilities:
  • Flash Dagger Art(¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï): Gives complete mastery over techniques that use a dagger, leaving behind an after image with each swing. As mastery over the Art increases, the afterimage will become more clear and separate itself as another entity that will aid the user. [Beginner Level]
  • Hand-to-Hand Combat(¡ï¡ï¡ï): Coordinates the body for easy movements and helps the user to use their body to fight more efficiently. Allows the user to easily learn basic martial art techniques. As mastery increases, it will allow the user to subconsciously dodge dangers. [Beginner Level]
Skills:
  • Fade(A): Allows the user to completely merge with their surroundings and hide their presence.
  • Shadow Travel(A): Allows the user to teleport or hide in the shadow of the target.
Name: Rachel Briar Rank: E+ Stats:
  • Strength 2
  • Stamina 2.2
  • Agility 2.2
  • Perception 3.2
  • Magic Power 3.3
  • Intelligence 6.2
  • Charm 8.1
Abilities:
  • Projectile Shooter(¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï): Allows the user to master projectiles with more ease. It also allows the user to see the path of their projectiles. With magic power, it will allow the user to create their own projectiles. [Beginner Level]
Skills:
  • [Inherited] Dryad¡¯s Blessing (S): It increases the mana replenishment rate of the user if they are close to nature. In a forest, the user¡¯s mana will be almost unlimited.
  • Zoom(B): It heightens the senses of the user, allowing them to see miles away and unhindered by most obstacles.
The screen showed me all the stats and different skills and arts that they were practising. ¡®Wow! I guess this is what the Appraisal skill does. Isn¡¯t this totally overpowered?¡¯ Most of the Top Heroes hide some of their abilities, as a status screen can only be seen by the concerned party. They follow this unspoken rule, to gain an advantage during battle. This was also the reason why Rhian never told anyone about his ''Blood Absorption'' until the mid-later parts of the novel. ''No wonder Appraisal was EX Rank. I should examine it more when I get some free time.'' As I was admiring my newfound ability, the main characters started their introductions. The Guilds began to take down notes on them for research. After all, a Hero''s potential is one of the important factors that are taken into consideration when they are scouted. If a person was given the choice to choose between two Heroes, one with the potential to reach Rank S and the other to reach Rank A, obviously the Rank S Hero will be chosen. There are ways to evaluate a Hero¡¯s potential by examining their Aura and other factors. But these examinations were very crazy expensive and the results only had a 40% accuracy rate. But since Rhian showed massive promise from the start, Guilds concluded that he has a chance of reaching at least S Rank. Though in the novel, his potential was much higher than that, rivalling even the Demon Lord¡¯s, because he was a ¡®Reincarnator¡¯. Rhian, Luke and Rachel had started speaking on the podium, telling people about their goals and other things. After their speech, the Director came back on the podium, informing the students what to expect from their classes and other necessary announcements. This went on for an hour and a half more. After that, everyone started leaving the Coliseum. Some of the students'' families and Guilds¡¯ representatives decided to stay and look around the Academy premises. Classes were gonna start from next week, so until then, I was practically free. I decided to go back to my room so I can learn more about mana. Ray¡¯s office was filled with many books on mana theory since he was a specialist in that field. I spent the next couple of days going through every book on mana that I could. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because I have the previous Ray¡¯s memories, but understanding all these books isn¡¯t that hard.¡± Mana was basically another form of energy that could either flow in our bodies or be absorbed naturally from the environment. Such natural mana hotspots were great for training as simply being in that place replenished your mana at a much faster rate. Ray already had a much higher mana capacity than the average Rank C Hero. It was almost comparable to a Rank B, a magnificent feat. Since I had just finished revising all the knowledge from the documents, including what I could gather from my memories, I decided it was time for some practical experience. Mana was an energy that flowed in our bodies as naturally as blood. I imagined it flowing through my veins before it gradually settled in my heart. After that, I took a small piece of it and slowly moved it to my eyes. ¡°Appraisal¡± A slight pain tinged my eyes, following which my vision changed. Various screens popped up in front of my eyes. ¡®Table from 1000-year old oak wood¡¯ ¡®Introduction to Mana Theory¡¯ ¡®Advanced Elemental Magic¡¯ ¡­ and many more. Basic information on all the items present in the room started showing up in front of me. The pain in my eyes from before, must have been because my mana had subconsciously flowed into my eyes activating the skill. ¡®Looks like Appraisal doesn¡¯t work only on people.¡¯ I tried to see what more my EX-Rank skill could do. I went around the house appraising everything. Since I was only searching for basic information, the mana expenditure was almost negligible. The Appraisal could even find hidden items. I found Ray¡¯s sword and a black dagger, which he had hidden in a secret compartment in his closet. When I used Appraisal I only got basic information about the sword and the dagger. ¡®Oblivion Steel Katana - Made from a sturdy ore¡¯ ¡®Dagger - A small dagger. Good for self-defense¡¯ When I applied more magic to my eyes, the status screen expanded.
Oblivion Steel Katana Rank: C+ Made from a special ore found in caves with high mana density.
Lightning Dagger Rank: B+ It was forged using special lightning techniques. Each strike passes a small current into the opponent''s body on making contact
The more mana I used, the more information Appraisal revealed. But I had a feeling that the skill didn¡¯t take much mana despite the EX Rank. In the novel there was no one with such an ability to see other people''s status screens, otherwise, it would have caused a scandal in the entire human world. So this ¡®Appraisal¡¯ skill must be something I got when I transmigrated into the novel. I went into the office and looked at my reflection in the wall mirror. ¡°Appraisal¡±
Name: Ray Laxon Title: The Otherworlder Rank: C Stats:
  • Strength 3
  • Stamina 3.3
  • Agility 3.4
  • Perception 5.6
  • Magic Power 7.1
  • Intelligence 8.8 ¡ú5.5
  • Charm 7.7
===Memory Synchronisation: 100% === Abilities:
  • Hand-to-Hand Combat (¡ï¡ï¡ï):
Coordinates the body for easy movements and helps the user to use their body to fight more efficiently. Allows the user to easily learn basic martial art techniques. As mastery increases, it will allow the user to subconsciously dodge dangers. [Beginner Level]
  • Brahma Sword Art (¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î):
A sword art that was created to create. With each swing, the user can materialise their mana. Upon mastery, the user will be able to materialise mana into their surroundings and change the terrain temporarily. [Beginner Level] Skills:
  • Appraisal (EX):
Allows the user to check the status of a selected target. The more mana that is used, the more details will be displayed.
I scanned through my status screen carefully again. My Intelligence stats were a bit weird. It seemed like it had gone down when I possessed Ray¡¯s body. Well, as Happy, I was an ordinary person. There was no way I was gonna be able to match the intellect of a genius. ''Too bad his family didn¡¯t appreciate his talent.'' The Brahma Sword Art seemed to be quite powerful too if practised properly. I guess Heron Laxon at least wanted to save face by making sure his ill relationship with his son wasn¡¯t revealed to the public. He gave Ray all the support on the surface, but never really cared what his son did with any of it nor did he pay attention to any sort of talent Ray might have had. This blatant display of indifference must have been his drive to excel in the academic field. There was a time when to soar his family¡¯s Guild to new heights, Ray proposed to them to open a new branch of potions since Aurum Guild had a famous Magic Item subsidiary business. He holed himself in his laboratory and created new recipes for potions, that which the world had never seen before. It took him many years and he spent a great number of nights without sleep, focusing on his research. But his father threw his years of effort into the trash without sparing a glance at it. That was when Ray decided to give up on his father and left to teach at the Star Academy. And shortly after, I possessed his body. It seems that despite not playing any sort of role in the novel, Ray Laxon should not be, in any way, undervalued. Yesterday, I found a copy of that book in the office, including samples of a few of those potions. They were gathering dust in a corner. Heron Laxon may not have paid any attention to them, but I was gonna make full use of it. The book had a hundred pages, with a bunch of Potions in it and the method of preparation of each one. Every single Potion in the book was worth a fortune. I wanted to start making a few of them but sadly some of the ingredients were quite rare. Since classes were gonna start tomorrow, I decided to schedule the potion-making for later. ¡®I have already studied up all the things I need for tomorrow''s class. I guess I will finally meet the main characters now.¡¯ Whether it''s fortunate or not, because of my low position, I was given only two classes to teach this time, one of them being Class Alpha, the class of the main characters. Well, I guess it is finally time for me to see how much I need to interfere in the novel. Chapter 3: I Meet The Main Cast Last night, I spent the rest of my time writing down all the things I could remember from the novel on my laptop. The novel was an important memory for me, so I had read it a few more times, not to mention, my friend asked me for a lot of references while he was writing, so I still remembered quite a bit about the story. The next day I got up early, took a shower, and dressed in the new clothes that I ordered online. The delivery system here was quite fast, delivering the package within 12 hours. I even got myself a dimensional ring, with a storage capacity of 1500 cubic metres. Cost me a couple of million R. I had also checked my bank amount and there was 1 Billion R in it, which in my previous world currency was approximately 12.5 Million USD. The Aurum Guild really had a lot of money, befitting their #5 Rank in the entire human realm, considering I had millions in my account, and that was when I wasn''t counting the various shares I owned. I cheerfully walked to the staff room, knowing that I didn¡¯t have to worry about money in this world. A sudden burst of Aura hit me as I opened the staff room door, drenching my flame of excitement. ¡®Right, I forgot. Money wasn¡¯t the only thing that ruled this world.¡¯ I calmed myself in a moment and glanced at the black-haired man sneering at me. ¡®This prick is really getting on my nerves.¡¯ I hadn¡¯t met this guy for the past few days yet he just couldn¡¯t let me go. Well, thanks to him, I did realise that to survive in this world, what I needed more than money was power. I would have to ask one of the instructors to teach me how to fight. Thankfully, Ray was more of a brain than brawn, so it wouldn¡¯t seem weird to ask them. Miss Misa approached me. Ray was quite pleasing to the eyes too, but world-class beauties were really on another level, defying the laws of physics. Despite being in her thirties, she still looked like she had just graduated from being an adolescent. Not surprisingly, as far as novel clich¨¦s go, she was the homeroom professor of Rhian¡¯s class. ¡°Nervous for your first class, Mr. Laxon?¡±, she asked, in her sweet voice that could make even the angels turn towards it. ¡°Mr. Laxon?¡±, she called again. I brought myself back to reality. ¡°Ah, yes Miss Amore. I do feel a little nervous, but I guess I am getting a bit better.¡± ¡°I see.¡±, she gracefully replied, before turning back and walking towards her desk. Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind. ¡®Appraisal¡¯
Name: Misa Amore Rank: S+ Stats:
  • Strength 10.2
  • Stamina 10.1
  • Agility 14
  • Perception 15.3
  • Magic Power 16.2
  • Intelligence 7
  • Charm 8.6
Abilities:
  • Drifting Steps(¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï): A special technique that increases the agility of the user as they move. Upon full mastery, it can allow the user to teleport short distances. [Advanced Level]
Skills:
  • Voice of The World(SS): The world is submissive to the user of this skill, shaping itself to their wishes. The user of this skill can change their surroundings just by voicing their thoughts.
  • Syren(A): A skill worthy of its names, full of seduction and deception. Whoever listens to this voice will fall prey to its sweetness obeying all the commands of its owner.
¡®Wow, Miss Misa is as deadly as she is beautiful.'' I guess every rose has its thorns. But a rose is a rose, nonetheless. I doubt even my friend would be able to guess how beautiful she was in real life. A person worthy of being a character in a fantasy novel.
While Ray was stealing glances at Miss Amore, she was returning his favour in kind. Ray was looking at her with a lot of discretion, but it couldn¡¯t go past undetected with her Perception stat of 15. And it wasn¡¯t something she wasn¡¯t particularly used to. All her life, the people around her would indiscreetly steal glances at her. Some filled with lust, others with greed. Ray was quite handsome too, taking after his parents. Misa had seen both of them at some of the high-society galas she had attended. Although those two were always indifferent towards each other, nobody could deny that they had been given the title of ¡°Most Beautiful Couple of the Year¡±, the year they had got married. But Ray''s glances at her were filled with neither greed nor lust. Rather they looked as if they were admiring a statue or a piece of art. Though being associated with an item of abstraction was unpleasant in its own way. She pulled up a file on her laptop. It contained all sorts of information on Ray Laxon. The League had recently caught hold of information that The Aurum Guild might be associating with The Fallen. So they had asked for favours from the Director to accept him as a temporary professor at Star Academy. Misa was left with the responsibility to keep an eye on him. When she first saw him, although he seemed normal, his eyes told a completely different story. They looked hopeless as if he had given up on trying. A week after, vitality had sparked in those eyes again. Instead of letting James Lanton bully him, he retorted cunningly. But after that, he shut himself in his room for a week. Though her surveillance revealed that he did nothing much but read books on mana during that time. She needed to collect more information to send to the Hero League.
There was still half an hour left before my class started, so I organised my desk. I wasn¡¯t that nervous since I had some experience in the teaching industry, having given tuition classes during my college years. When there were five minutes left, I exited the staff room and headed toward the lecture hall for the Alpha Class. When I entered the room, the students were loudly talking amongst themselves. Many of them had already formed their circles. Luke was sitting at the rightmost corner, his lackeys sweet-talking him. Behind him sat Rachel, her eyes were bored to death from seeing the master-servant interactions in front of her. Stolen story; please report. Rhian, on the other hand, was all alone sitting in the leftmost corner. The upper-class students avoided him, thinking Rhian was below them, and instead interacted with Luke and Rachel. The less-privileged class students feared as well as respected him, and thus kept their distance. I stood on the podium in front of the lecture hall. ¡°Attention please.¡±, I called out. The students ignored me as they kept talking amongst themselves. ¡®This is gonna be tougher than I thought.¡¯, I thought inwardly, suddenly realising the difference between teaching a couple of students and an entire class of teenagers. As I had practised, I released my Rank C Aura in the classroom. The noise instantly settled down as the students fought to resist my Aura. Ray may not be able to compare against monsters like Misa and James, but he was a Hero in his own right with a place on the Hero Rankings. A bunch of newly Awakened E Rank first-years were no match for me. Though a few students, who had higher rank, were able to resist my aura. Most people Awaken only when they are in their mid to late teenage years. So before they Awaken, and are able to wield mana, all young children go to special schools where they are taught to use weapons and different types of martial arts. That is why there is very little difference between a Newly Awakened and a trained soldier. Students like Luke and Rachel get an upper hand, compared to other students, since they train much more systematically under the guidance of the highly ranked Heroes provided by their families. Rhian, who had the memories of his previous life had also trained his body from a young age, thus why they were able to resist my Aura. Now, with the attention of the entire class on me, I began my introduction. ¡°I am sure you are all excited to begin your classes at the prestigious Star Academy, but I would like you all to maintain a level of discipline. That aside, it is nice to meet you all, my name is Ray Laxon and I will be teaching you mana theory in my class.¡± The students all groaned in their seats. ¡°Now, now, I am sure you are all far more excited about your practical training with Miss Amore, but learning about mana theory is very important and is gonna be very helpful in your next class. As people say Knowledge is Power, and the one who is gonna share that power with you will be good old me.¡± A smile plastered on my face as I began my lecture.
Rhian had always felt different from other people. Ever since he was young, Rhian was able to understand everything he experienced easily. While peers at kindergarten struggled to learn the alphabet, he was already channelling the mana in his body. When he turned 10, he finally understood everything. The memories of his previous life flowed into his mind. He had been born on Earth a thousand years after his death. In his previous life, he was a warrior, who had been killed at the hands of The Demon Lord. His family was annihilated. In this second chance he got, he vowed to kill his enemy. But despite training for years, his mana control hadn¡¯t improved much. In the thousand years he was gone, and the fact that his new body had a totally different constitution from his previous one, the feeling of mana was completely different from what he was used to. But he wasn¡¯t discouraged. He explored many dangerous places outside the cities that protect the humans and in one of those Dungeons found a 5-Star Sword Art scroll, ¡®The Demonic Dance Sword Art¡¯. He practised until his body was sore as hell and was able to carry out 20 Stances without his body breaking apart. But to learn the other Stances he needed a better understanding of mana. So he enrolled in the Star Academy, the #1 Academy for Hero Training. His first plan was to maintain a low key at the Academy. But he had no idea how weak the other humans were and ended up being the No.1 Hero Cadet at the Academy. His plan to lay low was immediately thrown down the drain. Since he had experienced a noble society and aristocracy in his previous life, he knew how the high society would react to the achievements of a person with no backing. They would either monopolise his power for themselves or put him in his place. Rhian didn¡¯t want to experience either scenario so he stayed low and focused on his original plan, to learn more about mana. But the professor in front of him was merely a Rank C. Rhian had no idea what this person was going to teach him. He prayed with all his heart that he will be able to learn something from him. ¡°I am pretty sure you all know what mana is. You must have felt it when you were Awakened and used it when you practised your weapon arts. Now whether this action is done consciously or subconsciously, it all depends on how much you know and understand it.¡±, the professor began. ¡°Did you know that although mana is a versatile form of energy, it can still be divided into 6 elements. Fire, water, earth and air. The final two are not in your syllabus, but they are classified as the element of healing or light and the element of destruction or darkness. Every Awakened Being has some sort of compatibility with at least one of these six elements.¡± One of the students raised his hand. ¡°Sir, is there some way to tell what element you are compatible with?¡± ¡°Of course. That¡¯s what you will be doing today. Finding what element you are compatible with.¡± Professor Laxon snapped his fingers. One of the staff members rolled a trolley into the classroom. A huge mana ball was placed on top of it. It looked like one of those crystal balls you would find in a fortune-telling shop. As the professor called the students names one by one, the students would place their hands on the ball, pushing their mana into it. The colours the mana ball had glowed were brown for earth, red for fire, blue for water and green for air. ¡°Rank #3 Rachel Briar!¡± The girl with platinum blond hair slowly approached the mana ball. She was probably the most beautiful girl Rhian had ever seen in both his lives. She lightly placed her palm on the ball and injected her magic into it. But unlike the previous times where only individual colours were displayed, two different colours appeared on the ball. Blue and Brown swirled inside the mana ball, like two immiscible liquids fighting for dominance.. ¡°Congratulations, Rachel. It seems you inherited your grandfather''s elements.¡±, Professor Ray praised her. ¡°Having two different dominant elements is a very rare trait. You can find it in about one every thousand Awakened Beings.¡± Rachel silently went back to her seat, her face a little flushed from hearing the professor praise her in front of the class. The professor called on the next person. ¡°Rank #2 Luke Vestillo!¡± The black-haired boy slowly stepped down to the podium where the mana ball was placed. Arrogance oozed from each step he took. He stopped in front of the ball. As soon as he touched the glass surface, the glass turned black as if the clear glass had been tainted by ink. Well, the darkness element was expected from the heir of the Shadow Guild. It was one of the rarest and sought-after elements. The Darkness element used to be considered the element of demons, since all the demons and Fallen had a high affinity towards it. But after a lot of research, it was found out that Darkness, the element of destruction, was also the most effective in destroying demons. ¡°Congratulations to you too. Having the darkness element is as rare, if not more than having double elements.¡±, Ray informed the class. As Luke went back to his seat, his lackeys swarmed him, congratulating him for the achievement. ¡°As expected of Young Master Luke. You got the best element in class.¡± Luke smirked in Rhian¡¯s direction. Rhian just rolled his eyes at the childishness. ¡°Finally the #1 Rank of all the first-years, Rhian Vermilion.¡± As Rhian got down the podium, all the eyes were on him, curious to know what rare element the #1 Ranked first-year would display. But Rhian already knew what his elements were. He had the double elements of Darkness and Water, a combination that could be found once in ten thousand, no, not even a million Awakened Beings. But Rhian had no intention of standing out even more than he already had. When he touched the mana ball, he concentrated so that only the Water element mana would leave his body. His blue mana completely engulfed the ball, showing not a hint of darkness that the mana ball had previously displayed. Murmurs filled with disappointment erupted from the seats, but Rhian''s face only showed hints of relief. But when he looked up what he saw was unexpected. His professor¡¯s eyes were smiling, as if he found this entire affair amusing. ¡®There¡¯s no way he knows something, does he?¡¯ But when he was returning to his seat, the answer revealed itself. There was another smiling face in the crowd. Luke had a mocking smile on his face as if he had just proven something. Looks like there are some people happy to see that he isn¡¯t as special as everyone thought. Oblivious to his misunderstanding, Rhian quietly took his seat as Ray resumed his lecture. ¡°Well, I am sure not everyone here is all that pleased with their results. But don¡¯t worry, this small test doesn¡¯t dictate anything in your lives. You guys are more than welcome to learn to control the mana of other elements, if you are willing to put in the effort.¡±, he reassured his students. ¡°In analogy terms, think of this. We all know how a person is either left or right-handed. While they have been right-handed all their lives, it doesn¡¯t mean they are incapable of using their left hand. It¡¯s just a matter of effort they put into practising it. Though of course, the Darkness and Light elements are exceptions to this case. They go much deeper than just putting in the effort. You need at least a bit of talent to learn it. ¡± Ray brought a screen in front of him. On it, were clips of different Heroes using mana while fighting. ¡°Now my job is to teach you all how you can use mana to improve all your fighting styles or in other practical aspects of your life. Not everyone who uses mana becomes a Hero, fighting in Dungeons for their lives and protecting humanity. Some do it from the comfort of their labs, helping these said Heroes. They are called Alchemists and they are the ones responsible for creating different types of potions which can give a Hero an edge during a fight.¡± A video of an Alchemist lab enlarged on the screen. On it, people wearing lab coats were doing trial experiments with various potions. Smoking beakers and test tubes filled with colourful chemicals swarmed the table. ¡°Moving on, here is a clip of a Tanker.¡± The video changed where a Tanker was blocking tiger-looking monsters with his shield. ¡°The most desired element for Tankers is Earth. It increases their defences and gives them a proper footing to protect others. The air element is good to increase the speed of your attacks while the water element provides agility and fluidity to evade attacks. The fire element is good for offence.¡± Ray slowly explained all the elements, explaining their many pros and cons. Rhian had always been the type to use mana based on instinct. Learning about it from a research point of view was quite insightful. Some of the factors were a bit unfamiliar to him too. Research on mana must have progressed quite a lot in the thousand years he lost. After an hour and a half had passed, Mr. Laxon concluded his lecture and exited the hall. Following this, Miss Mia Amore entered the lecture, ready to take all the students to the training hall. But long after the lecture had finished, Professor Ray was still on his mind. Before leaving, he had given Rhian a long look from the corner, which no one would notice unless they were the recipient. Chapter 4: The Boy Who Sees Ghosts As each student came forward, I used Appraisal on all of them. Apart from the main characters and a few others, none of the others had any special abilities or skills. But while Appraising the students, I did make an unexpected discovery. It happened when I accidentally applied more mana to my eyes than usual.
Name: Richie Addams Rank: E+ Stats:
  • Strength 2.5
  • Stamina 2.4
  • Agility 1.8
  • Perception 2.4
  • Magic Power 2.4
  • Intelligence 3
  • Charm 5.6
Skills:
  • Fortify(B): Forms a layer of mana around the user¡¯s body giving them an almost impenetrable defence.
The status screen of one of Luke¡¯s lackeys popped up in front of me. But the real surprise hadn¡¯t even begun yet. Below it was another status screen.
Potential Rank: SS Suitable Class: Tanker Mana Compatibility:
  • Earth: 87%
  • Water: 62%
  • Fire: 45%
  • Air: 19%
Knowing the Potential of a Hero was so important that the Hero League spent billions on its research. And my EX Rank Skill had just given me a cheat for it. I knew from playing video games that the title EX(EXtra Special) Rank was only given to God-level Skills, but seeing them firsthand told me how much I had undermined their power. If I revealed my skill to the public, I could rake in billions. The Hero League and various Guilds would call on me to appraise their Heroes. Though I obviously wouldn¡¯t do this. A skill like this, if made public, would put a huge target on my back, both from the Heroes'' side and the Fallen. And if they think that they can''t have it for themselves, the Hero League and the Chaos Alliance might even put bounties on my head just so that the other side couldn''t use the Skill. I should just use the Skill for personal benefits. Thinking of the possible ripples that the ''Appraisal'' Skill can cause in this world, scares me. I used the skill a few more times, including on the main characters. Rachel and Luke both had Potential levels of SS Rank while Rhian¡¯s potential reached SSS Rank, a Rank that no human, or any other creature for that matter, had ever reached, except the Demon Lord. He truly is worthy of being the protagonist. It also showed me Rhian¡¯s high aptitude for the Darkness Element. Though it wasn''t much of a discovery, since I already knew that from the novel. I used the Appraisal on a few more students randomly, but none of them reached the same level. They were a bunch of Hero Cadets with the Potential to reach B or A Ranks, but these Ranks wouldn¡¯t be of much use when the main members of the Demon Lord¡¯s army descended on Earth. Right now, the demons that attacked this planet were more like foot soldiers or scouts. Their main army was currently at war with orcs, elves and other species on their home planets, where the battle had been going on for centuries. While Appraising all the students, my eyes rested upon a single boy. He had long dark emo bangs that covered half his face, so you couldn¡¯t properly see his face. He was sitting alone in a corner, and it looked like all the other students were avoiding him. ¡®Appraisal¡¯
Name: Rohan Claeg Rank: E Stats:
  • Strength 1.5
  • Stamina 1.2
  • Agility 1.2
  • Perception 2.5
  • Magic Power 3
  • Intelligence 6
  • Charm 5.5
Skills:
  • Ghost Drain(S): This skill allows the user to channel the ghosts of similar ranked Awakened Beings into their body, allowing access to their skills and abilities. It also allows the user to see the memories of a corpse.
  • Foresight(B): Allows the user to see things that normal people are not able to see.
Potential Rank: SS Suitable Class: Mage Mana Compatibility:
  • Air: 88%
  • Water: 56%
  • Darkness: 51%
  • Earth: 24%
  • Fire: 23%
  • Light: 22%
¡®Gosh, where was this kid hiding during the novel? Isn¡¯t he on the same level as the main characters? No! If he played his cards right he might even be able to defeat them in no time.¡¯ If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. From what I could gather while using Appraisal on my students, if someone has Mana Compatibility of more than 50% with any element then they will be able to use it with a bit of effort. This guy had that requirement with three different, with one of the three being the rare Darkness element. ¡®I need to bring Rohan Claeg to my side.¡¯, I decided instantly. Well, before I do any of that, I need to know why this kind of guy was never even mentioned in the novel. Since I still had two hours until my next class, I decided to go do some training in the Teacher''s Training Hall. I changed out of my suit and got into a training uniform. It kind of looked like the Spandex uniforms that the Power Rangers used to wear. Though these seemed much more comfortable, the fabric being enhanced to be more breathable and elastic, as well as increasing its toughness. I took my Oblivion Steel Sword out of my new dimensional ring. I scanned through my memories to remember all the sword movements Ray had practised. He had memorised everything about the posture and how much force to be applied during each swing, so as to not hurt his wrist. But it seems like he didn¡¯t have as much in the athletics department as he did in the intellectual one. Ray was way too clumsy, getting scolded by his instructor many times. His instructor had once commented that during a fight, a passing bystander would be in more danger than his opponent. Thankfully, I wasn¡¯t as big a klutz as Ray seemed to be. Before I got my job, I had participated in quite a few sports. I wasn¡¯t an athlete or a physical mutant like the Heroes of this world, but I was rather confident that with enough training I could reach their level. I positioned my feet as I repeatedly swung my sword, in the way I remembered. Each time I swung, I tried to apply some mana to my sword. The Brahma Sword Art¡¯s main factor was to materialise mana into tangible forms, but Ray had never used that function, despite having his 4.5 ¡ï Art for many years. But I wasn¡¯t going to waste this opportunity. I practised for an hour and a half before I stopped to get ready for my next class. My next class was the Omicron class. They didn¡¯t have any role in the novel. A bunch of extras that hadn''t even been mentioned. I lectured them the same thing as I did to the Alpha Class, after examining their Element Compatibility. Unfortunately, I had used up all of my mana during my training, so I wasn¡¯t able to use Appraisal on the students of this class. But I might miss out on an undiscovered gem, like in Rohan¡¯s case, so I decided to Appraise them at a later date. For the next two months or so, I studied the notes on Mana Theory in my office and taught classes which added up to 20 hours a week. Ray¡¯s insight was really helpful in teaching even me, a complete stranger to the concept of mana. Though having Ray¡¯s memories surely contributed a lot. I also faithfully continued my practice with the sword, occasionally asking for some pointer from Ms. Anne . I was finally able to materialise mana at the tip of my sword. I don¡¯t know if it was because I transmigrated into this body or Ray already had this, but I found out that except Darkness and Light, all of Ray¡¯s Mana Compatibility were maxed out at 100%, the other two being at 0%. This must be one of the benefits I get as an Otherworlder. One more unexpected thing I found out was that I couldn¡¯t see my own Potential Rank. When I Appraised myself, the result was¡­
Potential Rank: ?? Suitable Class: Swordsman Mana Compatibility:
  • Air: 100%
  • Earth: 100%
  • Fire: 100%
  • Water: 100%
Since I couldn¡¯t see my own Rank, I just decided to set this matter aside for later and kept practising my Sword Art. It really was quite powerful. I was only at the beginner stage, Elemental Sweep, and I could already destroy all the training dummies in one swing. The skill involved coating the blade with a layer of mana, and swinging the sword so as to throw the attack. Its range wasn''t too far, but in battle it would prove quite an asset. After being able to perform this attack with all four Elementals, I decided to visit a Dungeon. The foremost reason I wanted to visit one, was to gain practical experience. But there was another important reason I needed to go to this particular Dungeon. In the novel, around the Human Continent, various islands had popped up. This group of Islands spread randomly throughout the wide ocean, and were collectively called The Sanskriti Archipelago. Each island had a culture that was similar to one of the major countries that got destroyed after the Catastrophe. But that wasn¡¯t even the best part about them. On these islands, many Dungeons popped up haphazardly. Usually Dungeons rewards the Hero with various types of Artifacts. But unfortunately, the Heroes that raided the Dungeons in the Archipelago weren''t able to find any. Thus, The Hero League deemed these Dungeons useless and stopped sending resources, forcing the islands¡¯ natives to fend for themselves. But what The Hero League didn¡¯t know was that these Dungeons had many more amazing Artifacts in store, if you just knew how to find them. This fact wasn¡¯t discovered until two years later when a Rank S Hero found a secret passage in one of the Island Dungeons. The Hero League later sent in many exploration teams consisting of both Heroes and archaeologists to research these Dungeons. My plan was to go to these Dungeons early and swipe in a few Artifacts that would otherwise fall into the hands of the Chaos Alliance. I had my eyes on a particular reward that I believed would be most useful to me. I was sitting at my desk in the staff room, as I sent an email for a Request for Leave. After that, I went to the Alpha Hall for my class. For the past two months, I had observed the main characters'' interactions with each other and other people. Rhian and Rachel slowly got closer to each other. Luke¡¯s hate for Rhian kept increasing, with his lackeys antagonising and isolating the latter. Some of the side villains that were in the novel had also popped up. Since the events were following the plotline, I decided to not interfere at the moment. Even if I had tried to interfere, I would then have been dragged into Academy politics, something I wasn¡¯t ready for. So, instead, I decided to shift my attention to Rohan Claeg. I pulled up his documents to find that his family owned a small Guild in Capital City, only consisting of D and C Rank Heroes. His family had taken out quite a large loan to fund Rohan¡¯s tuition at the Academy. But contrary to everyone¡¯s expectation, Rohan¡¯s Rank was #1227 out of the 1500 first-years. Not to mention his timid personality and the rumours about how he could see ghosts, stopped him from making any connections. I tried to approach Rohan several times, but he would always weasel his way out of meeting me. Soon my weeklong vacation approached me. I decided to talk to Rohan after my trip to the Dungeon. Packing all my necessities, including the sword and dagger as well as Ray¡¯s special potions, I headed to the Academy¡¯s exit, where a portal would take me to Portal Station. Chapter 5: Venezia Island Sci-fi technology is amazing. No crowded public transportations as well as instantaneous teleportation with no sense of nausea. Portals were truly convenient. I gave my heartfelt thanks to my friend for including something like this in his novel. Using the Academy¡¯s portal, I went to the Portal Station. There was slight motion-sickness but the experience was simply out of the world, quite literally. The station was a tall building with various rooms that contained portals to all sorts of locations. Rainforests, oceans, even to other continents. You name it. I was currently on the ground floor, waiting for my turn. At the reception, the receptionist asked about my destination and then calculated the ticket cost for a round-trip ticket. Usually, a portal to such a far-away location would cost about 50,000 R, which was a bit more expensive than a round-trip domestic flight in my previous world. But the Academy provides its staff and students with special privileges, such as free portal usage. ¡°Ah, you are a Professor at the Star Academy!¡±, she exclaimed as I handed her my professor ID. There was a hint of respect in her voice as she typed in my details on the computer. ¡°Please head to the 10th Floor, Room 1033¡±, she instructed as she returned the ID. After heading to the designated room, an attendant guided me inside. The room inside was huge unlike its outer appearance, expanded through magic engineering. Inside were several customers, like me, who were being guided to their destinations. We came in front of a large door. On its side, a screen was placed asking for the longitude, latitude, and altitude of the location to where the portal needed to be opened. As soon as the attendant typed in the coordinates, a vortex started to glow inside the door. As I stepped in front of the vortex, the attendant handed me a small marble. ¡°I believe your return trip is a week from now. For the portal to reappear on your departure date, smash this marble at the location where you will appear.¡±, the attendant explained. ¡°You will have a 24-hour window to use the portal marble, after which it will become useless. You will have to call our customer service line so that we may retrieve you from your location. Though ,the retrieval service will cost you a price.¡± I nodded at her instructions and placed the marble in my dimensional ring. After that, I stepped into the portal. Venezia Island, South of the Human Continent I exited the portal to find myself on a beach. It seemed to be hidden from the rest of the area by some boulders. Amongst the rocks, there was an opening that led to where the rest of the beach was. But when I passed through it, instead of the usual bustling beach life, I found myself on deserted sands. Abandoned fishing boats lined the coast, while drifted seaweed covered the sand. ¡°Rustle!¡± I turned my head towards the noise. Hidden behind the boats was a tall guy. He was wearing a white vest over copper-tanned skin. His dark hair and eyes, along with youthful muscles which gave him quite an attractive appearance. He glared at me, wary of the stranger, who had suddenly appeared on the beach, out of nowhere. I waved at him, flashing my best smile and trying to look as harmless as possible. The boy narrowed his eyes on me. ¡®Guess that didn¡¯t work.¡¯ ¡°Excuse me, do you know where everyone is?¡±, I asked him, as politely as possible. ¡°Who are you? I have never seen you around here before.¡±, the boy questioned. ¡°Um, I am just a visitor. I came from the Human Continent.¡±, I replied. He rushed to me. ¡°Did you say, ¡®Human Continent¡¯? Did the Hero League send you?¡±, he asked, his eyes beaming at me. ¡°Well I am Hero.¡±, I answered him vaguely. ¡°Yes!! Follow me. I will take you to Father.¡±, the boy took my hand, pulling me with all his strength, which was quite a lot, since I was a C Rank Hero. Coming out from the beach, we ended up in the middle of a town that resembled Venice quite a lot. Water canals snaked between the floating mouldy buildings. But unlike the pictures of Venice from my old life, the canals here didn¡¯t have any boats drifting through them. The gondolas were tied outside the buildings and the town seemed just as deserted as the beach we were on. ¡°Come up!¡±, the boy in front of me instructed me as he got up on top of one of the buildings. I followed his suit, as he parkour-ed across lanes. We finally reached a large building that seemed a lot like a Catholic Church. The boy and I pushed open the large glass and oak door. Surprisingly, the inside of the Church was quite clean and dry, with none of the decay in sight. On the benches, many townspeople were clasping their hands and praying. Hearing the door open, they slowly opened their eyes to look at who had entered. An old man ran down the aisle and hugged the boy beside me. Seeing his religious black robes and grey beard, he was probably the Head Priest or something. ¡°Oh Mike, I was so worried about you. Where did you go? It''s dangerous out there right now.¡± The short priest asked the boy, as he inspected his body for possible injuries. The scene reminded me of my grandparents who fussed over me when I came home after getting injured while playing. ¡°Father, look a Hero came to protect us.¡±, Mike said, pointing towards me. Hearing his words, the stares of the church occupants immediately turned towards me. They started to whisper among themselves. ¡°Finally! The Hero League sent someone to help us.¡± ¡°But why did they only send one Hero?¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Shhh. What if he hears you?¡± Hearing the whispers behind him, the priest looked at me with an awkward smile. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go and talk in a more private place, sir?¡± Taking Mike¡¯s hand, the priest signalled me to follow him. He took me to a small office. It was a plain-looking room with just a desk and two chairs, one on either side. The desk was covered with neatly stacked papers. I settled down on the guest chair, with the old priest sitting opposite to me. Mike stood beside him. ¡°Welcome to Venezia Island, young man. I am Father Jacob, in charge of the local church here.¡± ¡°I am Ray Laxon, a C Rank Hero.¡± ¡°So I guess the Hero League finally heard our pleas.¡± ¡°Um, about that.¡±, I really didn¡¯t want to lie to an old man. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sent here by the Hero League. I am just visiting the island out of my own interest.¡± Immediately, dread engulfed Jacob and Mike¡¯s eyes. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, if I can, I will definitely help you.¡±, I quickly added. ¡°But may I know what the problem is here?¡± The old man¡¯s face brightened up on hearing my response. ¡°Thank you so much for your consideration. Actually, right now our island is going through some very tough times. I am sure you have already seen the condition outside.¡± Remembering the deserted beach and waterways, I nodded. ¡°A few months ago, a C Rank Dungeon opened up a few kilometres off-coast from here. We thought we would be able to close it by ourselves, so a few of the young fishermen formed a team to attack the Boss Monster inside. But the entire group was annihilated. And to make matters worse, a few weeks after that, the Dungeon Rampage began and it started releasing its monsters outside. Snakes flooded the waters and attacked the townspeople in the waterways. We had no choice but to take refuge inside this small church. We tried to ask the League for help, but they rejected our pleas every time.¡± ¡°I understand your situation, but a C Rank Dungeon. That will be quite troublesome for me.¡± ¡°Please, we really need your help.¡±, the priest begged me. ¡°Our food rations will run out in a month. We won¡¯t be able to survive.¡± Actually, contrary to the priest¡¯s calculations, this island¡¯s citizens won¡¯t even make it past this week. I remembered about this island¡¯s tragedy from the novel. Usually when a Dungeon opens up, there is a countdown period of a few weeks. In this time period, Heroes can enter the Dungeon and try to defeat the Boss monster. If the Dungeon is not closed before the countdown period runs out, then the Dungeon begins to release its monsters outside. Adding to the disaster is the fact that as long as the Boss Monster is not killed, Dungeon Rampages will keep occurring periodically. And regrettably, Venezia Island barely has a week now before the second Dungeon Rampage occurs. Soon, the Dungeon will release another horde of serpent monsters in the town¡¯s waters, which will completely annihilate the island residents. In the story, only one boy named Mikael Harpoon survived the attack. He then went to the Dungeon to avenge his town and family. After spending three months inside, he finally defeated the boss monster and got a reward, including Awakening inside the Dungeon. After that he joined the Chaos Alliance, to take revenge on the Hero League for not helping his island during their time of need. The Dungeon reward was so strong that it helped him become one of the top Fallen, hunted by the Hero League. ¡®Sorry Mikael, but I will take your reward.¡¯ It was a win-win situation. The Alliance will lose a valuable asset and I will gain a powerful weapon. ¡°Alright. I will close the Dungeon for you. I won¡¯t ask for any payment but whatever Items I get in the Dungeon will belong to me.¡± ¡°Thank you for your help.¡±, the priest said, gratefully. His eyes were glistening with tears. Seeing a man, who could have been my grandfather, cry in front of me was really uncomfortable. ¡°Well, I would like to set forth to the Dungeon today. Can I get a boat and someone who can guide me there?¡± In the novel, Mikael took three months to defeat the monster. Even if I was a C Rank Hero, I didn¡¯t know how long it would take me to close the Dungeon. I only rushed here because the Island¡¯s deadline was closing. Even if I couldn¡¯t close it entirely, I could, at least, stop the second wave of monsters. ¡°But didn¡¯t you just get here, Mr. Hero?¡±, the priest asked. ¡°I need to go back to work in a week.¡±, I explained. And since I had all my necessities packed, there wasn''t really any reason to waste time. ¡°I can guide you to the Dungeon.¡±, Mike stepped forward. ¡°No!¡± Father Jacob yelled at him. ¡°You are not going to that dangerous place.¡± ¡°But, Father, I am the best guide you have here.¡±, he pleaded. ¡°Please let me go with him.¡± He looked at me with pleading eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. I will take care of him.¡±, I placed a hand on Mike''s shoulders. Honestly right now, I just needed to get to that Dungeon as fast as possible. It was imperative to my survival in this world, that I get my hands on that Artifact. ¡°Take me to the boats, young man.¡±, I flashed a reassuring smile at Mike. ¡°Follow me.¡± Mike rushed out the door, before Father Jacob could change his mind. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Father. I will make sure to bring him back unharmed.¡±, I reassured him before following the hyperactive youth. Mike took me to a fishing boat that was tied outside the backdoor of the church. I slowly stepped on it, as it rocked due to my body weight. Mike started the engine and we headed into the waterways. I could sense E Rank Auras below me. I leaned to the side to notice shadows moving underwater. ¡°Be careful. Monsters lurk down there.¡±, Mike warned me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am releasing my Aura as well. They won¡¯t dare to approach us.¡± Soon, we exited the streets and entered rough waters. Mike fixed the engine and steered the boat. Although the waves looked calm, it was anything but safe. I could feel predators lurking below us. Truthfully, I hoped that the monsters would stay away. Even if they were E Rank, I doubt I would remain unscathed during the fight, with only my two-month training. Not to mention, we were currently on a very shaky boat. ¡°So, what kind of a job does a Hero do, mister?¡±, Mike asked me as he drove. ¡°Well, currently, I am a professor at the Star Academy.¡± Mike''s eyes brightened at the mention of the Hero Academy. Guess its reputation had spread to these far-away islands as well. ¡°So, Mike. What kind of life do you live here, on the island?¡±, I asked in return. ¡°Nothing much. My dad died while hunting when I was eight years old. Father Jacob has taken care of me ever since then.¡± ¡°He seems like a nice man.¡±, I nodded. ¡°But I hate the other townspeople.¡± ¡°And why is that?¡± ¡°They always blame me for everything, even when it''s them who pick a fight with me. They are only jealous cause my hunting skills are better than theirs.¡± ¡®I guess bullies existed everywhere.¡¯ ¡°Once I Awaken, I will take Father Jacob and go to the Continent. It''s the best life a resident of the Sanskriti Archipelago can hope for.¡± ¡°You know, being a Hero isn¡¯t that easy.¡±, I explained to him. ¡°The chances of Awakening is less than 1% and even after that you will have to train a lot to raise your Rank and become stronger.¡± As we travelled, I told Mike more about life at the Academy, how the students trained there, and everything. Mike listened to my stories intently. We finally reached the entrance of the Dungeon. In the middle of the ocean, there was a huge whirlpool, about ten metres in radius. ¡°You have to jump in there to get to the Dungeon.¡±, Mike informed me. He looked at the vortex nervously. I could feel a malicious Aura emitting from it. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s abandon the boat here and jump in. I doubt the monsters would attack an empty boat.¡± ¡°Wait, I have to jump in with you?¡± Mike asked in surprise. Clearly, he wasn''t expecting to go to the place where an entire group of residents from his island had been massacred. ¡°Well, obviously. I promised Father Jacob I will make sure you don''t hurt. Without me and my Aura, you will be like a sitting duck for these monsters to attack.¡± ¡°B-but isn¡¯t the D-dungeon more dangerous?¡± ¡°Come on, you scaredy cat.¡± I grabbed him by the vest and plunged into the water. Instantly the strong sea currents sucked us, dragging us through the water vortex and to the other side. Chapter 6: Gate of Serpents The vortex dropped us in the middle of a desert. ¡°Pfttt!¡± I spat out the sand that had entered my mouth. Beside me, Mike did the same. I stood up to brush off the sand from my clothes. I looked at the sky to see where we had entered from, but the sun overhead burnt my eyes. ¡®Ding¡¯ A status screen popped up in front of me.
=== VRITRA¡¯S PRISON=== Rank: C
¡°I guess we are in the Dungeon called ¡®Vritra¡¯s Prison¡¯.¡±, I informed Mike. ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°Awakened Beings get a small notification regarding the name of a Dungeon. ¡± ¡°Now let¡¯s begin with getting out of this hellish desert.¡± I started walking in a random direction. ¡°Wait. Where are you going? Shouldn¡¯t we make a plan?¡± Mike asked desperately, as I began to leave. ¡°In case you didn¡¯t know compasses don¡¯t work in Dungeons. And even if it did work, we don¡¯t have any information about our current location. So right now, the only action we can take is to keep moving. God knows what kind of monster will come for us if we stay in one place.¡± Mike gave it a thought but followed me when I started moving. I actually did have some knowledge about the Dungeon. It was vaguely mentioned in the novel what Mikael experienced in the Dungeon, which included constant attacks and a lack of food and water. I had enough rations to last us for half a year, in my dimensional ring. So what we needed right now was to keep ourselves from being attacked. We wandered around for hours, finally setting up a tent when the sun completely set. Sci-fi technology really was awesome. I just threw the ball-shaped item on the ground and it instantly inflated into a two-person tent strong enough to fend off at least one C Rank attack. It cost me quite a pretty penny as well. ¡°Let¡¯s eat before retiring for the night.¡±, I said, handing Mike an energy bar and a bottle of water. Since he got tired from walking all day, Mike didn''t complain about the food. After the light dinner, the two of us went to sleep. The desert was freezing at night so we huddled under the blanket I had brought. ¡°A-are you sure nothing will happen during the night?¡±, Mike asked me, trembling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am sure monsters need their sleep too.¡± After half an hour passed, I quietly slid out of the tent, to make sure that Mike didn¡¯t wake up. I wasn¡¯t able to try this in the morning, since Mike was beside me. I kneeled in the sand and placed my hands on the ground. ¡°Appraisal.¡± A wave of mana spread from my palms before dissipating into the ground. Immediately, half of my magic was gone from my body. Soon after, a 3D model of the desert was assembled in front of me. I pinched the model and enlarged it, checking the areas near my location. Directly below us, many D Rank snake monsters were sleeping, hiding from the cold. I guess they were following Mike''s and mine scent the entire day. ¡®Good thing we started moving as soon as we got here. It would have been really dangerous, otherwise.¡¯ I used the map to analyse the desert, which direction the desert was closest to finishing and where the monsters were. After an hour, I went back into the tent and slightly shook Mike awake. ¡°D-did something happen?¡±, he asked, rubbing the sand from his eyes. ¡°It''s nothing, but we need to leave right now. In the morning, it will be too late to give them the slip.¡± Mike got up and I quickly packed up everything and put them back into my ring. Since I now had an idea of the Dungeon¡¯s terrain, with the help of Appraisal, I knew where we had to go from now. As the monsters would be more active once the sun comes back up, we decided to quicken our pace. Thankfully, I had brought jackets made from D Rank Salamander leather, widely used for its function to create its own heat, so we didn¡¯t freeze to death. The two of us reached the end of the desert just as the sun broke through the horizon. Before us, laid a luscious, green forest. ¡°Let¡¯s hide here.¡± I quickly dragged Mike into the forest since the Appraisal Map notified me about the seismic movements of the snake monsters underground. ¡°So what are we going to do, now that we are in the forest?¡±, Mike asked me. ¡°What are we gonna do now?¡± I flashed him a smile. ¡°Well, of course, burn it down.¡± ¡®I mean, who never loved a good arson.¡¯ ¡°Wait, we spent the entire day, and night, yesterday wandering the desert. And now that we finally found a better place, you wanna burn it down?¡± Well, his reaction was understandable. Nobody sane would try to burn down their place of refuge with their own hands. ¡°Tell me, Mike. Do you know who Vritra is?¡±, I asked him. Mike shook his head in response. I started explaining to him about the Dungeon we were in. ¡°Vritra was a snake from Hindu mythology that had captured all the world¡¯s rivers. That same snake is the boss monster of this Dungeon.¡± ¡°Ah, that explains why this entire place is a desert. There¡¯s no water here.¡± ¡°So, then, tell me, how is such a vibrant and lively forest able to survive in a land with no water?¡± ¡°Wait, so is this forest where all the rivers are trapped?¡± I nodded at his answer. ¡°And we are going to burn it down, provoking Vritra to come out from wherever he is hiding. We won¡¯t even have to wander aimlessly in the scorching desert, fighting monsters, to find his location.¡± In fact, in the novel, Michael only found this method after a month. He originally used the forest as a hideout, but when he still wasn''t able to find the Boss Monster, he burned it down in anger. ¡°Okay, so how are we going to burn an entire forest down?¡± ¡°Leave that to me.¡± ¡®Appraisal¡¯
Name: Ray Laxon A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Title: The Otherworlder Rank: C Stats:
  • Strength 6.5
  • Stamina 6.7
  • Agility 7.1
  • Perception 6.2
  • Magic Power 7.5
  • Intelligence 5.9
  • Charm 7.7
The training I had undergone the past two months had finally raised my physical stats to that of an average C Rank Hero. Even my Intelligence had risen a bit after I read all those books on mana and other documents in my office. I took out a corked test tube from my ring.
Ray¡¯s Speed Potion: Increases Speed Stat by 1.0 for thirty minutes.
I chugged down the colourless and tasteless liquid, putting the vial back in the ring I kneeled in front of Mike, my back facing him. ¡°Get on top of me now.¡± He got on without asking any questions, piggybacking me. Time was of the essence here. Right now, all the snakes were still asleep due to the night''s frigid temperature, so I could execute my crime with no interruptions. I took my scabbard out and unsheathed my sword. ¡®Brahma Sword Style - First Stage : Fire¡¯ Red mana began to envelop the previously silver blade. I could feel the potion starting to take effect. My body felt light and energetic as if I had taken a concentrated shot of caffeine. I charged into the forest, my body moving at the speed of a cheetah. As I parkoured around the trees, I slashed their trunks, setting them ablaze. A scarlet path of flames and destruction followed my footsteps. Behind me, I could feel Mike, enjoying the wind. Hell, even I was enjoying this wonderful feeling. In my previous life, nobody would have been able to enjoy running at such speed, not even track athletes. I ran around the forest. I slashed the trees again. Embers fell from my sword, making it seem as if the blade was surrounded by fireflies. As the sun rose, so did the flames. I could feel the Aura of monsters surrounding the forest, trying to get in and protect their haven from the maniacal arsonist, but the flames kept them at bay. After half an hour, my speed slowly started to dwindle. I skittered towards the other edge of the forest, as the last of the Speed Potion left in my system was burnt away. Mike slowly slid off my back, as his feet landed in the sand. Looks like the desert completely surrounded the forest. ¡°Well, now we just have to wait for our prey to come to us.¡± I commented as my feet slowly came to a stop. Since my body wasn''t used to such unthinkable speeds, my leg muscles had been stretched to the limit, and I felt as if someone was pressing a hot iron against them. I quickly chugged down a Stamina potion and Mana Potion from my ring, to get myself healed up and to prepare myself for the upcoming fight. From my ¡®Appraisal¡¯, I had realised that Ray was a real genius when it came to making potions. The ones I had found on the market only raised Stats by 0.8, but Ray¡¯s potions raised it by a full 1.0 point. He had even created potions with such extraordinary effects, to the point that I think it was illogically stupid how Heron Laxon never even considered testing them. Selling the recipe for even one of them would be worth tens of Billions of R. I took out another potion from my ring. It was one of Ray¡¯s special potions. It was stored in a glass vial with a poison purple hue.
Monster Repelling Potion (Low Grade) - Makes the consumer emit a pheromone that repels C Rank and below monsters. Caution: It will not affect all monsters equally.
I handed the vial to Mike. ¡°You know, that vial is missing a skull and crossbones, right?¡± ¡°Just drink it. It¡¯s not poison.¡± Mike gave it a long look of disapproval before downing it in a gulp. ¡°Tastes kind of sweet.¡± I handed him my black dagger. ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡±, he asked. ¡°Self defence. Just stab as hard as you can, if any monsters approach you. The dagger will hopefully paralyse them.¡±, I explained. The Lightning Dagger was the best weapon for someone with no mana, since it was already infused with lightning mana. Also, I didn''t have any other weapon on hand, since I never really thought someone would be coming here with me. ¡°Monsters will be heading our way soon. Get ready.¡± I could already feel the aura of monsters underground. The strongest one among them had an aura of wrath around it, ready to go on a rampage. It was slithering in our direction at unimaginable speeds. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±, I alerted Mike. We posed ourselves. Moments later, the ground in front of us erupted. Sand spilled all over us. Once our visions cleared, I almost fell over. A 70-metre long viper with dark blue scales was staring at us. Its dark eyes stared at us, red with fury. Its forked tongue darted in and out of its jaws, which looked as if they could snap a car in half. Two long shining silver horns stood erect on top of its head. Behind it, more snakes popped up. Red and black-scaled serpents stared at us. All 4 snakes were about half the size of their leader, releasing D Rank auras. ¡°Appraisal¡±
Vritra Rank: C+ Its horns imprison the rivers of this Dungeon.
Appraisal was quite uninformative in this sector. Vritra hissed at us, poison spitting in our direction. I grabbed Mike and rolled sideways, barely avoiding the projectile. Behind me, the poison hit a few intact trees, which immediately started giving out smoke. ¡°Run far away from here.¡±, I pointed Mike away from the battle. Mike understood his powerlessness in the situation and started running away from the battlefield. Vritra hissed at his subordinates and two Red Snakes slithered in my direction. I ran towards them and slashed at their skin with a burst of red mana. The cut was shallow, barely going past the skin below their scales, but the scratches immediately started getting blistered as if someone had poured acid on them. Not wasting time, I quickly jumped on the body of one of the snakes and jabbed my sword inside their skin, releasing mana inside. The snake rocked its body, trying to fling me off but pretty soon it fell to the ground, writhing in pain as its blood boiled from the inside. The other snake leaned back, wary of the tiny human, after seeing its companion die so cruelly. But I didn¡¯t give it a chance to escape as I shot forward. I ran up its slithering body, leaving behind more blazing scratches on it. I finally reached its head. The monster tried to shake me off, but I held on, stabbing it in the eye, piercing its head. The snake fell with a thud. I looked in the direction of Vritra. Its eyes narrowed on me. Extreme bloodlust emitted from his gaze. ¡°Hmm, the monsters here really don¡¯t seem to be much.¡±, I taunted. The other two snakes hissed at me but seemed to be too scared to make a move. I let those two be and instead prepared to attack the boss monster. I rushed towards Vritra¡¯s long body, attempting to burn it but Vritra slithered out of my range. It seemed to be more intelligent than its former subordinates, so I decided to change tactics. I used multiple wind mana bursts on my sword to throw myself at its head. Instead of dodging, Vritra head-butted me. I immediately changed my mana property to earth and using all my remaining mana, slammed my sword on its head with enough force to break a boulder, before falling to the ground. Thankfully the sand reduced my momentum, preventing me from getting hurt. I doubt even a C Rank body would have been able to come out unhurt from such a fall. Above me, Vritra screamed in pain. Despite not doing as much damage as I had hoped, it seemed like my last attack had left a very noticeable crack on its horn. Vritra hissed at me, but instead of attacking me, it decided to retreat, its subordinates following it behind. I sighed in relief as I lay down on the sand. I was absolutely burnt out from that fight. If Vritra had attacked me at the moment, I doubt I would still be alive. Mike came out of his hiding spot and scrambled towards my body, once he checked there were no monsters in sight. ¡°Oh my god, can you move?¡±, he frantically checked my body to search for any broken bones or wounds. I had several bruises on my chest from that fatal headbutt, but nothing life-threatening. I summoned a Low-Grade healing potion out of my ring, and Mike quickly uncorked its contents into my mouth. After a few moments, I could feel the potion kicking in, slowly repairing my body from the inside, as the liquid coursed through my veins. ¡°So, what do we do now?¡±, Mike asked. ¡°Nothing we can do. Vritra¡¯s probably already miles away from here, building another forest. Even if we do find it again, it will be heavily guarded. I alone can¡¯t take it on and defend against its subordinates.¡± ¡®Guess being in another world has really inflated my ego.¡¯ After that last attack, the moment I thought I could die, I was afraid. I was really scared of dying. ¡®Experiencing it once was enough. I don¡¯t think I can go through that again.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s rest here today, Mike. After that, we will leave the Dungeon.¡± ¡°But then, what about my home? The Hero League doesn¡¯t care about us. You were our only hope, Sir Ray.¡± ¡°Mike, I am sorry. But I, alone, won¡¯t be able to defeat the Boss Monster, while defending myself from the Red Snakes. When I go back to the Human Continent, I will personally tell the Hero League about your situation and ask them to send reinforcements. That¡¯s the most I can do. Let me just rest now.¡± I could already feel my body shutting down after exhausting myself in the battle. I slowly drifted to sleep. Chapter 7: Awakening In my dream, I saw my friend, Aries, fussing over the details of the villain ¡®Mikael Harpoon¡¯. He had busted into my room at dawn, after pulling an all-nighter to create the new character. ¡®Happy, look, I just made a new villain. He is going to be a Spiritualist. He is gonna be one of the new Classes of Awakened Beings that I have been working on.¡¯ His eyes sparkled as he talked about his novel. I remembered this day very well. The day I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. The landscape in front of me slowly faded into another. It was night-time now. Happy was outside the dorm building, trying to call someone on his phone, a look of urgency on his face. In the distance, a silhouette appeared, slowly limping towards the building. As the person got closer, I could make out his face. It was Aries, his lip was busted and his right eye was slightly swollen. ¡°Oh my god, what happened to you?¡±, Happy asked his friend, supporting him by his shoulder. ¡°Ah nothing happened. Just some drunk man got into a fight with me. He got dragged away by the police.¡±, Aries explained, leaning on Happy. Happy slowly walked Aries to his room, where he gave him first aid. ¡®I wish I knew you were lying at the time.¡¯ Slowly the scene around me started to fade away. I could sense myself waking up. I opened my eyes to find the ceiling of the tent. I was covered in blankets, protecting me from the chill of the desert night. Beside me, Mike was hugging his knees. ¡°You are finally awake.¡± ¡°I am. Thank you for keeping watch.¡± I sat up to converse with him. ¡°Listen, Mike. I am sorry about your town. But honestly, I am too weak to defeat Vritra alone. If I had even one more Awakened Being with me, I could do something. But I am powerless on my own.¡± ¡°Then, how about we focus on Awakening me? I mean, you already Awakened. You can give me tips.¡± ¡°Awakening isn¡¯t something you can just wish for, and think it will happen. Awakening is something that just happens. Heritage plays a big factor in it too but I doubt your father was one, considering he didn¡¯t leave for the Human Continent.¡± ¡°Please, you must have something.¡±, Mike grabbed my hands. ¡°Our town will be destroyed if you don''t do anything about it.¡± I sighed. Drinking the healing potion before fainting had fixed my body and I could feel myself brimming with mana. I could use ¡®Appraisal¡¯ on him, but I was hesitating. Using Appraisal on him would clear the doubts I had about this boy, but I still had my concerns. Not to mention, knowing someone would Awaken is not something technology in this world could do. ¡®Appraisal¡¯ was too overpowered a skill for me to use in front of others. ¡°Please!¡±, Mike begged me. I gave up. I hadn¡¯t spent much time with him, but I really liked this boy. The way his eyes sparkled, talking about Heroes and the Hero League, reminded me of Aries when he talked to me about his novel. ¡°Fine but what I am about to do, you can¡¯t tell this to anyone. And I mean, no one.¡±, I warned him. Mike nodded his head. ¡°Appraisal¡±
Name: Mikael Harpoon Rank : Unawakened (Awakening: 95%) ==========LOCKED========== Potential Rank: SS Suitable Class: Spiritualist Mana Compatibility:
  • Darkness: 90%
  • Light: 60%
On seeing the name on the screen, I facepalmed myself. ¡°Mike, is your full name, by any chance, Mikael Harpoon?¡±, I hesitantly asked the boy next to me, despite the answer staring me right in the face. ¡°Yes! How do you know that, Sir Ray?¡± I cringed at his response, facepalming myself once more. ¡®How dumb can I be to bring the person I was stealing from to the crime scene.¡¯ Well, let¡¯s let bygones be bygones. The only thing that Mike¡¯s presence can change is the fact that the reward I was hoping to get in this Dungeon might go back to its original owner. I will have to go to another Dungeon if that happens. Aries had made an entire list of Dungeons and their locations in his notebook, many of them he never used in his novel. I can always have my pick next time, if this didn''t work. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡®God, that boy sure was brimming with ideas. I am pretty sure I remember some of those locations. Hopefully, just being in the notes of the novels would allow them to materialise in this world that I had transported in.¡¯ ¡°Listen, Mike. I will help you Awaken but we need to do it as fast as possible.¡± I only had five days left, before I had to go back to the Human Continent. Not to mention, the second wave of monsters would be happening soon too. My arson might have pushed that deadline by another week or so, but we still needed to close this Dungeon quickly or Mike¡¯s entire town would be annihilated. Also, now that I personally knew Mikael, I couldn¡¯t very well, in good conscience, let him turn into the cold-hearted Fallen he would have originally become in the novel. ¡°Mike, you should rest for now. I will keep watch. Tomorrow morning, I will train you to Awaken.¡± Mike obediently went to sleep. He must have been quite exhausted after looking after me all night. I, on the other hand, didn¡¯t think I would be able to sleep after the dream I had. Instead, I pulled out the Dungeon Map I had made with ''Appraisal''. It took almost no mana to materialise the map right now. And by the looks of it, the map also got updated real-time with next-to-nothing mana intake. ¡®Guess the only time it needed mana was the first time when it was scanning the entire terrain.¡¯ I started to analyse the entire Dungeon one more time. Vritra''s newly sprouting forest seemed to be 10 kilometres north of the burnt-down one. The majority of the monsters were sleeping around it now with Vritra at the very centre of the nest, as means to guard their territory. A few monsters were scattered individually around the desert, most probably the small-fries. Day broke, by the time I finished going through the entire map and making a plan. At the same time, Mike started to stir in his bed. ¡°You are up! Let''s start your training.¡± On hearing the word training, Mike jumped from the bed, ready to go. I packed up the tent and we started moving towards the nearest Snake Monster. It was only a kilometre away from our resting spot, so we found it quickly. The snake was quite small compared to the ones I had seen before, about 25 feet long, looking like an anaconda with red scales and yellow eyes.
Name: Red Snake Rank: E+ Rank This monster has fangs strong enough to crush steel and usually kills its prey by grabbing them with its tail and biting their head off. Weak Point: It has a soft chin.
¡®Seems like the ones I killed yesterday were the top brass.¡¯ I handed Mike the Lightning Dagger. ¡°Go and kill that Red Snake.¡± Mike looked at me as if I had told him to kill himself. Well, looking at the situation, it might look like that, since Mike didn''t really have any form of formal training using weapons. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you are in danger I will come to save you. You just need to strike the chin and you will be able to kill it.¡±, I advised him. This was part of the process of Awakening. People who have the potential to Awaken have to draw in large amounts of mana from their surroundings. The time taken to absorb sufficient mana depends on several factors, that¡¯s why people Awaken at all ages, but it usually happens before they turn 18, since it''s the time when the human body is still developing. In the Human Continent, where Dungeons open on a daily basis, along with the many already Awakened Beings living there, the mana densities in those cities are pretty high. So children living in those cities didn¡¯t have to do anything special to Awaken. But in the Sanskriti Archipelago, where there were almost no Awakened Beings and Dungeons popped up few and far between, it was almost impossible to Awaken. Mike probably Awakened because the Dungeon opened so close to his town. And when the monsters attacked, they naturally released mana in the surroundings, allowing him to absorb it and Awaken. But bodies have a natural resistance to mana. That¡¯s why I was trying to get Mike to fight with the monster. Exhausting his body will lower his natural mana resistance, allowing him to take in the monsters¡¯ mana with ease and Awaken. This lowering in mana resistance was also the reason why Awakened Beings get bursts of power when they reach their limits during a fight. Mike got into a stance. Although his stance was full of flaws, it was evident that he had been trying to practice swordsmanship on his own. With his slim and flexible body as well as years of experience as a sailor, he grabbed the Red Snake¡¯s slithery body, preventing it from wrapping its tail around him. As they wrestled for dominance, the monster tried biting Mike¡¯s face. But before it could get the chance to do that, Mike plunged the dagger into his lower jaw. Mike slowly got off the monster¡¯s corpse, his hand was covered in blood. I took out a handkerchief and handed it to him. ¡°You did really well for your first-time monster hunting.¡± ¡°So am I close to Awakening yet?¡±, he asked, his eyes sparkling, giving no regard to the blood splattered on him. ¡°You might need to fight a few more monsters.¡±, I said, checking his status. I took the corpse and placed it in my ring. Monster materials sold for quite a good price in the market. It would be a waste to leave it rotting in the sun. After that, we moved on to the next few targets. Mike killed the rest in the same manner, while I kept an eye on our surroundings with the Appraisal Map. Vritra hadn¡¯t moved from his place yet. Neither had his subordinates. I had a bad feeling about it. When Mike finished his 9th monster, the Awakening hit 100%. All the stored mana in his body started going on a rampage, concentrating at the centre of his body, before it finally exploded. A huge invisible force pushed everything around him away. I slid away a little too, due to the unstable ground.
Name: Mikael Harpoon Rank : E Stats:
  • Strength 1
  • Stamina 1
  • Agility 1
  • Perception 1
  • Magic Power 1
  • Intelligence 4.1
  • Charm 6.7
Skills:
  • Foresight(B): Allows the user to see things that normal people are not able to see.
  • Spirit Master(S): The ability is used to capture spirits and make them do their bidding
Potential Rank: SS Suitable Class: Spiritualist Mana Compatibility:
  • Darkness: 90%
  • Light: 60%
All the newly Awakened started with Rank E and all stats except Charm and Intelligence from 1.0 point. But the foundation that has been laid when the Awakened was human, plays a big role in how fast those stats rise in the future. Since Mike was a fisherman, his physical Stats will surely rise quickly. ''Clap! Clap! Clap!'' ¡°Congratulations on your Awakening, Michael.¡± I congratulated him for his achievement. Mike rushed towards me and hugged me. Tears were streaming down his face. In the Hero Academy, the students took it for granted that they will naturally Awaken when they come-of-age. But for someone from the Archipelago, where being Awakened was equivalent to becoming a representative at the Olympics, it was a much more joyous occasion for them. I gently patted his tall head. ¡°You did great.¡± After a few more moments, I pulled Mike out of his hug. ¡°That¡¯s enough celebrating for now. We got a snake to hunt and a town to save.¡± Mike nodded with tears on his face. Chapter 8: The Rematch A few hours later, Mike and I were secretly observing the new forest from behind the dunes. Well, I was the one doing the observation. Mike was checking out his newly found powers. Sometimes, he would let out giggles, like an infant who just found a new toy to play with. ¡°Wow, Sir Ray. Did you know, 10 kilometres from here, two Red Snakes are fighting.¡± ¡°No, Mike. I don¡¯t have Foresight like you.¡± Mike kept fidgeting over his status screen, reading it over and over again, still in awe that he had truly Awakened. Usually Awakened Beings never revealed the contents of their status screen, but Mike recited his own to me, like an unguarded puppy. Not that it mattered much, with me having ¡®Appraisal¡¯. But this small act spoke loads about how much he trusted me. ¡°Mr. Ray, what is this other skill that I have? It''s called Spirit Master. Do you know what it does?¡± ¡°That skill is useless right now.¡± I informed him. His eyes drooped down in sadness, hearing my words. Spirit Tamer was a very powerful skill but since nobody was able to use it, it was declared useless despite it being S Rank. But what researchers didn¡¯t know was that the user needed a Spirit Egg for the skill, the same way a swordsman needed a sword to display his skill. And in a few months, those Eggs would be discovered all around the world. I planned on grabbing a few good ones before other people found out their true worth, so that I could make it up to Mike . Once the knowledge about the Eggs gets released, the value of even one Egg would be in hundreds of Millions of R. ¡°Let''s talk about your skills later. We got work in front of us.¡± Our gazes turned back to the forest. 3 Red Snakes were patrolling the area. ¡°Mike, can you check how many monsters are inside the forest?¡± Mike zoned out, in the forest¡¯s direction. ¡°Hmm, there are about 15 Red Snakes with Vritra in the middle of them. But, Mr. Ray, there is something. The crack on Vritra''s horn that you attacked , it''s gone.¡± ¡°Looks like Vritra has a healing ability.¡± Well, I already expected this to happen. Vritra¡¯s regeneration was one of the reasons why Mikael spent many months in the Dungeon. Whenever he was close to defeating Vritra, it would run away, later coming back completely new. It must also be the reason, why it hadn''t attacked us yet, since he was still healing. I turned towards Mike. ¡°Listen, here¡¯s the plan. I want you to stay here and release your Aura, while I go and infiltrate the forest. The small fry would come and attack you, allowing me to attack Vritra.¡± En route to the forest, I had explained to Mike the basics to use mana. He should at least be able to release Aura if not completely able to use the mana. With my Lightning Dagger, he should be safe. The monsters patrolling the area were also only E+ Rank. I handed him the tent bead. ¡°If you think you are losing, run inside the tent. It should be able to protect you from a bunch of E Ranks.¡± Mike nodded as he listened to my instructions. Honestly, I was still worried about letting a 16-year old fight on his own. But since he survived in the novel, I had hope that he would be able to defend himself now. I quickly sneaked into the forest as soon as the patrolling Red Snakes left. I searched through my map to find Vritra and headed in its direction. Soon I reached the centre of the forest. I hid behind a tree and observed the snakes'' nest. Vritra was curled up in the centre. Surrounding it were multiple Red Snakes, each of them being much bigger than the ones Mike fought and the ones that were patrolling around. They slithered about, determined to protect their master. The Aura they were releasing seemed to be of D Rank, some of them even being D+ Rank. Even as a C Rank, it would be impossible for me to defeat all of them. This time I just intended to fight Vritra. I took out a blood-red vial from my ring., agonising over what I was going to do. Ray hadn''t left many potions in his stash, yet I had already used so many of them. I had no idea whether I would be able to make potions like Ray, even if I had the recipe with me. But this is an emergency right now. Getting my hands on that reward was well worth the sacrifice of these potions. I took aim and threw it right at Vritra. As soon as the glass cracked, thick crimson gas immediately started to flood the snake nest. Repulsed by it, the Red Snakes quickly slithered into the woods. ¡®Appraisal¡¯
Anti-Monster Perfume: Keeps low-Rank monsters away. Caution: Smell quickly dissipates
I only had a ten-minute time frame to attack Vritra before the Red Snakes returned. ¡°Hiss!!¡± Vritra looked in my direction. The perfume was strong enough to wake it up, if not entirely drive it away. I could see anger in its eyes, waiting to take revenge for the humiliation it faced during our last fight. Not wasting time, I quickly chugged down a Speed Potion and rushed towards it. Vritra slithered towards me, snapping his fangs at me. It spat a load of poison at my face. I quickly summoned wind on my blade and pushed it away. Vritra kept snapping at me, trying to bite off my limbs at the slightest opening. I kept switching the mana type on my sword, trying to bring it down. I burnt it with my embers. I blew it away with my wind. I struck it hard with my rock. I cut it with pressurised water. But each time, I felt it was gonna back away, the wound would heal over. Nothing I did seemed to have any effect on Vritra. It hissed at me as if mocking me. The potion effect was already starting to fade. I needed to stop the source of its regeneration. I ran towards a tree and started to climb it. Vritra slithered in my direction. From this height, its forehead could be reached from the top of the tree. As soon as it came close, I lunged at Vritra grabbing hold of one of its horns. Vritra shook around, trying to throw me off, but I grabbed the horn as support. Keeping myself stable with one hand I took my sword and filled it with earth mana. ¡°Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!¡± I kept hitting the horn until it broke off. ¡°Hawaa!¡± Vritra screamed in pain as its horn fell to the ground. I jumped towards the other horn to quickly break it off. I hacked at it, applying the last burst of my mana, finally snapping the horn in two strikes. ¡°Thud¡± The second horn fell. But surprisingly, instead of blood, molten gold started to drip from the wound. As soon as it hit the ground, the gold began to solidify. I wanted to see what was going to happen, but I had to turn my attention somewhere else now. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Hearing the agonising screams of their master, Red Snakes began pouring out of the woods. The perfume I had spread was long gone. I got into a stance, ready to face the Red Snakes that were gonna attack me. But instead of heading my way, they rushed to their master and started dragging its half-dead body away. I had no mana left, so I let them be. I hadn¡¯t succeeded in killing Vritra, but since the main source of its powers, its horns, had been snapped off, it was safe now. With the Boss Monster still alive, the Dungeon won¡¯t close but it will probably move away, popping up somewhere else in the world. I could feel the frigidness of water mana settling into the Dungeon. I am pretty sure in a few days, this entire area would be filled with rainstorms, and turn these barren land back into its original state, hopefully, filled with forests like the one I was currently in. ¡°Ah right, what was that gold blood about?¡± I looked back at the place where the blood had fallen. Now that all the monsters were gone, it looked like a tornado had passed through the area. Trees had been uprooted and flung everywhere and the soil had been upturned. And a pool of molten gold glistened, neatly settled in the centre of such destruction. Beside the pool, Vritra¡¯s two horns were placed. ¡°Hmm, this wasn¡¯t the reward I was hoping to expect.¡± The reward for completing Vritra¡¯s Dungeon was a special Spirit Egg that could even be used by non-Spiritualists. This pool of gold and two horns wasn¡¯t what I was expecting. ¡°Appraisal¡±
Vritra¡¯s Horns: Wearing the horn as an accessory can increase control over water mana. Crushing the horn into powder and ingesting it can increase the consumer''s affinity to water mana.
Formless Spirit Egg Rank: E Potential: ??? Status: Unawakened Inject your mana to awaken the Spirit.
The horns seemed useful so I put them inside the dimensional ring. Now the issue was about the pool which was supposedly the Spirit Egg. As far as I remembered Spirit Eggs were supposed to look like eggs, as big as an ostrich''s. ''Oh well. There¡¯s nothing I can do.'' I stuck a finger inside the gold pool. It seemed a lot like the inside of a Jell-o. I shot a spark of mana inside it. Immediately, the pool began to pulsate, like a heart coming to life. I closed my eyes as a blinding poured out. When I opened them, a snake was staring at me. It was quite small, about 3 feet long and had gold-plated scales. Its bristled scales made it look like it had spiky feathers on its body. Its pearly black eyes stared back at me in curiosity. ¡°Hey there, Master.¡± I scrambled back in shock, landing straight on my butt. The snake in front of me seemed to be talking. The novel never mentioned anything about Spirits talking. Seeing me like that, the snake giggled. ¡°Haha. I didn¡¯t know Master would be so shocked to see me talk.¡±, it spoke again. Its voice sounded like a peppy cheerleader, out to party. Since none of the main characters were in possession of Spirits, the novel really had been uninformative about them. ¡®Appraisal¡¯
Arcadeus (Divine Serpent Form) Title: The Formless Spirit Rank: E ¡ú E+ Stats:
  • Strength 2.4
  • Stamina 2.4
  • Agility 3
  • Perception 4.6
  • Magic Power 6
  • Intelligence 6
Arcadeus is a one-of-a-kind Spirit Egg that has the ability to shapeshift as it Ranks up. Skills:
  • Vitality Venom(A): The venom in its fangs has the ability to heal the body of its target. If sufficient magic is provided, it can even bring back a person from the brink of death.
  • Fade(A): Allows the user to completely merge with their surroundings and hide their presence.
Potential: ??? Mana Compatibility:
  • Light: 90%
  • Earth: 80%
The ¡®Vitality Venom¡¯ seemed pretty useful. I had seen it in action during my fight with Vritra, so I knew how effective it was. And ¡®Fade¡¯ would allow me to bring it into the Academy without alerting anyone. Even its Rank has upgraded, which was probably because I was a C-Rank. There were instances where Spirits ranked up if their Masters had a much higher Rank than them, since Spirits fed on mana. ¡°Oh, wow, what¡¯s this screen that popped up in the air? Ohh, it has my name on it.¡± ¡°Huh? You can see the Appraisal screen?¡± ¡°Well, of course, I can. You are my master now. I can use your non-combat skills too. Of course, only if you allow it.¡± I remembered this part from the novel. Spirits were mainly coveted because of the Skill-Synchronization that took place between a Spirit and its Master. That way a Hero can gain more skills, which can usually only be found in Dungeons after defeating the Boss Monsters. ¡°Can I use your skills?¡± I asked the Spirit. ¡°You can, but only when my Rank has risen a bit. E Ranks really sucks. Anyway, let me introduce myself formally. My name is Arcadeus, but you can call me Deus. From today onwards I am your contracted Spirit Servant. I will be in your care¡± Arcadeus bowed down in a subservient manner. ¡°Well then Deus, I am your new master, Ray Laxon. Let¡¯s help each other out from now on.¡± ¡°Well, then where to now, Master.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get out of the forest for now. I got a friend to pick up. He might be in danger right now¡± I stood up from my spot and began to pace in the direction I had previously entered from. Deus began to slither behind me. With our inhuman speed, we soon exited the forest. I could already see Cumulonimbus clouds rolling into the desert sky from the horizon. Pretty soon, heavy rains would fill this land. Now whether it returned to its original state or got completely flooded, only Mother Nature will know. Not that it was any of my concern. Among the sand hills, a tent was pitched up. Three snake corpses surrounded it. I could see rips and tears in parts of the tent. Mike must have gone into hiding when the Red Snakes got too aggressive. The Red Snakes must have gone to their leader when I broke its horns. ¡°Hey, Mike. It''s safe out. You can come out now.¡±, I yelled at the tent. Hearing my voice, the tent zipped open and a head popped out. Seeing me, Mike quickly got out of the tent and rushed towards me. ¡°Mr. Ray, watch out. There¡¯s a snake behind you.¡± ¡°Ah, him. Don¡¯t worry about it. He¡¯s my¡­er, pet now.¡± Mike''s eyes lit up with admiration on hearing I made one of the monsters into my pet. ¡°Wow, nothing less to be expected from Mr. Ray. You got one of those monsters to become your pet. It even looks like a tiny dragon.¡± I gave him an awkward smile. It made me uncomfortable hearing such innocent praise, considering the fact that the monster in question was originally supposed to belong to him. Mike scrunched down to take a closer look at Deus. ¡°Hello, Master¡¯s friend.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡±, Mike fell back into the sand upon hearing Deus suddenly talk. ¡°That snake just talked.¡± ¡°Yes. It''s a very special snake.¡± I handed him a Healing Potion from my ring. He had small scratches all over his body. His clothes were ripped too. He must have fought as hard as he could. Most Awakened would have run away if they were asked to fight monsters right after Awakening. I ruffled his hair in approval. ¡°What was that for?¡±, Mike started to fix his hair. ¡°I am just proud of you, kid.¡± I turned the damaged tent back into a ball and placed it inside my dimensional ring. I then got down and examined the Red Snakes Mike had killed. Two of them were E Ranks with one being E+ Rank. Mike was growing much faster than expected, as expected from one of the top villains in the novel. I placed the corpses in my ring too. Too bad, I wasn¡¯t able to kill Vritra. Boss monsters usually dropped special items like monster cores, which were basically a highly condensed ball of mana and sold for hundreds of millions of R depending on their Rank. These cores could even be used as eco-friendly energy sources, the reason why they were so coveted. Boss Monsters sometimes even dropped Skill Beads, a tangible manifestation of one of their Skills. They were the only way one could get new Skills after their Awakening, as thus were mostly monopolised by the top guilds or black markets, and were sold for prices as high as diamonds. ¡®Well, better luck next time.¡¯ I sighed in defeat. I wasn''t too disappointed either, since I had achieved my main goal for coming here. I turned to Deus and Mike, who were now casually chatting on the sand. ¡°Hey, you two. Let¡¯s get out of the Dungeon now.¡± ¡°Sure, Master.¡± Deus slithered towards me and started to crawl up my foot. Soon it was wrapped around my right hand. Slowly it started to melt in my arm, and before I knew it, he was gone, replaced by a tattoo-ed snake. ¡®Wow. I never thought I would get my first tattoo in another world.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. I can come out any time I want.¡±, Deus explained. ¡°It''s okay for now.¡±, I replied. Honestly, I thought the tattoo looked cool on me. I turned towards Mike. ¡°Let¡¯s go out and tell Father Jacob the good news.¡± ¡°Exit.¡±, I yelled at the sky. Pretty soon, a portal formed in front of us. I stepped inside it. The familiar feeling of teleportation engulfed me. On the other side, Mike and I stepped onto the boat. The whirlpool that was in the water before had disappeared, indicating the Dungeon was gone now. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to Venezia Island.¡±, Mike yelled in excitement, as he started the engine. Chapter 9: Back To The Island In an hour, the boat took us back to Venezia Island. As we entered the Island¡¯s waterways, I could see the snakes slithering out of the streets. With their leader gone, they were now scurrying away in hiding. We docked outside the Church. Father Jacob and the other townsfolk came out to see what was happening to the streets. ¡°Hey, Father.¡±, I waved at the old priest. ¡°Oh, Sir Ray? Have you closed the Dungeon already?¡± I nodded at him, flashing him a smile. ¡°I promised you, didn¡¯t I?¡± Hearing my words, all the townspeople started to cheer. A few of them came forward and started to thank me. Since this was my first time being the target of praise of such a big crowd, I just gave them an awkward smile in response. ¡°Please Sir, come in.¡±, Father Jacob invited me into the church seeing my awkward state. I followed him into his office with Mike. Behind me, I could hear some boat engines running. The townspeople were probably going back to their residences now, though it will take a few days for them to resume their daily lives again. ¡°We thank you for helping us, Sir Ray. The town is grateful for all you have done.¡± ¡°It''s okay. There was-¡± ¡°Father, you won¡¯t believe it. I Awakened.¡±, Mike cut me off. Father turned towards Mike in surprise. ¡°Oh Lord, that¡¯s so amazing, Mike. I am sure your father will be very proud of you.¡± After a moment, he spoke up, ¡°Mike, would you mind waiting outside for a moment? I have something important I need to talk to Sir Ray here." Mike obediently left the room. I kind of knew where this conservation was going to head. ¡°Sir Ray, I hate to impose on you again, but may I ask you for another favour?¡±, Father began nervously. ¡°I suppose you want me to take Mike with me to the Human Continent?¡±, I voiced his thoughts for him. ¡°I am very sorry about this. The islanders aren''t really fond of Mike. I try to help him as much as I can but even I am reaching my limits considering my old age. Now that Mike has got such a wonderful opportunity in front of him as an Awakened, I would hate for him to waste it on such a small island.¡± The door burst open and Mike marched in. ¡°Father, if I go to the Human Continent, you need to come with me.¡± ¡°Mike, we shouldn¡¯t burden Sir Ray too much. A pass for the portal to the Human Continent is very expensive. And I don¡¯t want you to miss such an opportunity for an old man like me.¡± ¡°But Father¡­¡± ¡°Can I add something to this.¡±, I interrupted them. ¡°Father, I am in no way lacking in finances to not be able to teleport two people to the Continent. Not to mention, right now I only have one Return Marble with me. So forget yourself, I won¡¯t be able to take Mike with me either. And Mike, I was always going to bring you with me to the Human Continent. You have too much potential to leave you on this small island.¡± ¡°But, Father-¡± He started but I shushed him with a finger to my lips. "Shush!" ¡°Father, I will need at least a month to arrange for proper accommodations for Mike. Also, since I am a Professor, I reside in the Academy dorms, so I would need someone to look after Mike in his new residence. It will be helpful if it''s someone he¡¯s familiar with.¡± ¡°All right, Sir Ray, I would take you up on your offer.¡±, Father finally gave up. I could see he held a lot of affection for his ward. He would have given up on his stubbornness sooner or later. Now that our discussions were over, I was feeling the fatigue from the Dungeon Raid. ¡°Father, can you tell me what the best lodge is here? My return isn¡¯t for another few days and I don¡¯t have a suitable place to rest.¡± ¡°Oh, of course. The best place to stay will be at Maria¡¯s. Mike can take you there. Also, I once again can''t thank you enough for helping us.¡± I gave him a gentle nod, before leaving the Church. The lodge I was guided to was a three-storey house on a beach. It seemed clean and well-kept from the outside, which I was thankful for. Mike left me at the door, saying he had to get back to his house. When I walked in, a lady in her mid - 50s greeted me. She had dark hair and tanned skin, which seemed to be native to this area. Behind her, a teenage girl, who I presumed to be her daughter, was dusting the counter. When they saw it was me, the daughter rushed in front of me. ¡°Oh my, Mr. Hero. What brings someone like you to our place?¡± ¡°Oh, I am looking for a room to book for a few days.¡± ¡°Oh, please, right this way. For the person who saved our town, I will provide you with our best room." She cheerfully guided me. The room she took me to was a plain room on the second floor, with a queen bed and a small side table and chair. It had plenty of sunlight and was well-ventilated. It even overlooked the beach, giving it quite a nice vibe. ¡°Thank you for the room.¡± ¡°No problems, Sir Hero. Dinner begins at 7.30 PM, but we can also send your meal to your room.¡± She explained before leaving the room. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I jumped into the bed as soon as she left. It''s been days since I had slept in an actual bed and my bones were aching from all that camping and fighting. For a city boy like me, this kind of lifestyle was really exhausting. As I sunk into the soft bed, my eyes slowly fell asleep. When I woke up, the sun was already setting into the horizon. Red rays illuminated the room as I got up. Since I hadn''t eaten the entire day, my stomach was grumbling from hunger. I quickly dropped into the shower and after getting freshened up, I went down to have my dinner. The restaurant, whose entrance was beside the reception, already had other customers inside. When I entered the room, they stopped chatting and stared at me. I quickly took an empty seat and ordered a soup and prawn dish. Soon, the daughter brought me my order, and I started digging in. I could sense the other customers¡¯ lingering gazes on me as I ate. They were quietly whispering amongst themselves, but it wasn¡¯t hard to catch their words with my sensitive hearing. ¡°That Hero must be really strong for closing such a Rank C Dungeon by himself.¡± ¡°I hear that the Harpoon kid was the one who took the Hero to the Dungeon. He was bragging about it all over town.¡± ¡°What use would that troublemaker be inside a Dungeon? He must just have been in the Hero¡¯s way. If I sent my Jake with the Hero, he would have been so much more helpful than that kid.¡± ¡°Did you know, that Harpoon kid was lying to everyone that the Hero gave him powers or something?¡± ¡°Haa. That kid is a liar, just like his father was. Saying he had friends in the Hero League. Well, those ¡®friends¡¯ never came whenever he asked them for help. That phoney was just showing off until his lies were revealed.¡± ¡°Well, maybe this will give us a chance to throw that kid out of our city.¡± I was pretty surprised by all the negative comments that were flowing around about Mike. Since I was an outsider, I couldn¡¯t really call them off, so I just left for my room after finishing my food. As I sat on the chair, thinking about Mikael¡¯s story in the novel, I took a look at my arm. ¡°Ah, I completely forgot about him.¡± The black snake tattoo was still there on my arm. ¡°Deus, come out.¡± The tattoo slowly started to move, and Deus raised his head before the rest of his body started to follow. Soon the tattoo was gone, and its real-life golden replica was wrapped around my arm. Arcadeus was on the verge of crying. ¡°Master, you are so cruel. How could you forget about me?¡± ¡°Sorry about that!¡± I apologised. He was my Spirit, so I should have a good relationship with him. Deus started slithering around the room, exploring the new place. ¡°So, Master, what are you doing on this island?¡± ¡°Hmm. I just came to sight-see.¡± Deus might be my Spirit, but there¡¯s no way I am telling my secret to a talking snake. ¡°Master, you do realise I am now bonded to you, right? I can feel when you are lying.¡± ¡°I feel like I am getting the short-end of the stick here.¡± ¡°If you are so concerned with me spilling your secrets, you can always order me to secrecy with the Spirit Seal on your hand.¡± ¡°Spirit Seal?¡±, I checked my hand again to find a tattoo slowly inking into existence on my arm, in the place where Deus had slithered out just moments ago. I remembered reading about Spirit Seals in the books. They could be used to summon your Spirit, no matter where they were. And if the Spiritualist and his Spirit had high enough ranks, then they can even use each other''s skills. ¡°So, what were you doing in the Dungeon, master?¡±, Deus asked me again. ¡°Well, I got information that a Spirit Seed was supposed to appear in that Dungeon.¡± It technically wasn¡¯t a lie, so he won''t be able to call me out on this. ¡°Ahh, then I guess we were meant to be together, Master.¡± Deus declared, snuggling close to my leg. ¡°Yeh, I doubt that.¡± I took my smartwatch out of my dimensional ring and placed it on the table. The smartwatches here doubled as both smartphones and laptops in my previous world. I had stored it in my ring before entering the whirlpool and then totally forgot about it in the Dungeon. I pulled up the screen. A hologram floated above the table, popping up multiple notifications. Looks like my students have started posting their assignments. ¡°Um, Master, I am kind of hungry right now.¡± ¡°Ah, right, I forgot about that. What do you eat, by the way? I can ask Maria to send some fish to the room if you would like?¡± I said, pointing to the intercom placed beside the bed. ¡°Normal meat isn¡¯t good enough for me. They don¡¯t have enough mana in them for them to taste good. Could you take out the monster corpses that are in your ring?¡± ¡°You mean the s-snake monsters?¡± ¡°Yeh.¡±, Deus looked at me with sparkling eyes, acting like a cute puppy. I never even imagined it would be possible for a reptile to be able to act like that. Not to mention, a cannibal at that. Well, as long as it didn¡¯t eat humans, I was okay. I took out the small Red Snakes that Mike had killed. Deus immediately started feasting on it, ripping the outer skin off and tearing into the flesh with his fangs, before swallowing the chunks of meat. I decided to keep the bigger ones that I had killed inside since I didn¡¯t think Maria would appreciate 40-foot-long snake carcasses in one of her rooms. I decided to feed them to Deus later. I could have sold the corpses too, but Spirits ranked up after collecting enough mana in their body. It was more fruitful for me to invest them into Deus'' stomach rather than exchange them for some cash. Anyway, for the cash, I was thinking of selling Ray¡¯s Potions on the black market after I produced them. I quickly typed in the black market name I remembered from the novel. Pandora¡¯s Box. It was a very special organisation that dealt in the underworld. Rather than an organisation, it would be much more accurate to say it was a Dungeon. A sentient one at that. No one knew where it was located or who operated it, but one day it just latched to the Internet like a parasite and established itself as one of the biggest dark websites. In fact, Earth wasn¡¯t the only place it could be accessed from. Various other planets had it too, so it couldn¡¯t even be verified if the Dungeon was on our planet or not. Even I didn¡¯t know where Pandora¡¯s Box was and I was the reader of the novel. But people did say that if you raided the Dungeon, you could find enough priceless Artifacts in it, enough to be able to buy an entire planet. I quickly pulled up the website. There was a biometric lock in the middle of the screen. I placed my right thumb on it and sent a shock of mana into it. Immediately, the website¡¯s homepage opened up on the screen. Usually, someone needs to pass a lot of security restrictions to be able to register here. But, I never doubted that Ray would be denied access. Every famous Hero had an access pass to it and Ray was the eldest son of the owner of the Rank #5 Guild. It was another fact that he never used it, but he would have been forced to register by his father. I scrolled through the site. There were quite a variety of products in it. Potions, monster corpses, Artifacts, and even monster slaves. There were several brokers logged in as well, selling information. Though the prices that were displayed in front of them could make one¡¯s eyes pop out. Every day stuff like mass-produced weapons and monster corpses were sold at market price. But anything rare or unique was sold for hundreds of millions of R. I decided to search for something. I quickly typed in ¡®Monster Repelling Potion¡¯, but my search came up empty. ¡®Looks like there is nothing like Ray¡¯s potions being sold here. Well, they are pretty special. I doubt anyone has come up with them yet.¡¯ Looks like Monster Repellents will be the first potion I should sell here. I had seen their effects first-hand. Usually, some non-combatant Heroes and researchers also entered the Dungeons to research the fantastical flora and fauna found there. Heroes with combat abilities were usually hired to protect them since they were very quite weak, despite being Awakened. This Potion could very well solve this problem and increase the security of the researchers. I took the Potion Notebook out of the ring. The Monster Repelling Potions seemed quite easy to make. It didn¡¯t use any rare ingredients. But after scrolling through it for some time, I came across a major problem. I didn¡¯t have any of the equipment for distillation and other processes. So I decided to think about it, when I went back. ¡®If I remember correctly, Ray had another house before he came into the Star Academy. It had an underground lab attached to it. I better go see his house once I return.¡± I hadn¡¯t really explored the world outside the Star Academy in the two months I was here. This excursion to Venezia Island was my first Other-World excursion, so I had very little personal experience about the place. ¡°Zzz. Zzz. Zzz.¡± I turned back to find Deus sleeping on the floor, not a trace of its meal left behind. The golden hairy-viper looked cute while sleeping, kind of like a puppy. I chuckled at myself, comparing a monster to a harmless puppy, after remembering the amount of destruction it had spread in the original novel. There was some blood from the corpses spilled on the floor, so I used Water mana to wipe it away. While training I had realised a major flaw about the Sword Art I was practising. Without a proper weapon in my hand, I wasn''t able to gain complete access to my mana reserves. A small spell like this was all I could conjure with my bare hands. I quickly made a mental note to practise mana usage without any tools later. I went back to my screen, now checking the assignments I had gotten in the mail. Chapter 10: At The Academy Misa had been teaching at the Star Academy for many years now, but this was the most troublesome year she had ever experienced in her life. She had been made the homeroom professor of the children of some of the big shots of the Hero World, so she thought that they would be more mature than everyone, going after their disciplined parents, but they were no different than spoiled brats. Luke was constantly bullying the #1 First-Year Cadet through his lackeys. Misa tried to help Rhian as much as she could, but she could only do so much with her reputation and not make one of the top Guilds her enemy. Luke would make his lackeys constantly challenge Rhian to duels and then they would use powerful attacks in an attempt to cripple Rhian and gain themselves a spot in Luke¡¯s good books. Those oblivious students had no idea that doing something like this would most likely get them expelled and Luke Vestillo would provide them no help, cutting them off like cannon fodder. That was one cruel bastard, with an over-inflated ego to boot. A far cry from his father, Shade Vestillo, who had gained several achievements by saving entire cities from monster invasions. Well not that she can blame him, either. Even some of the professors looked down on Rhian because of his middle-class background. They would openly mock him in class, believing that only those who came from ¡®Top-Class¡¯ backgrounds can pursue greater heights and protect humanity. Rhian had a lot of pride too. Instead of ignoring them, he would taunt them back. This had split almost the entire First-Year students into two main factions, one pursuing the ideology that one¡¯s blood and family determine how great a Hero one could become in the future, under Luke, and the other under Rhian, that believed that if provided with similar resources, even ordinary students can grow as strong, if not stronger, than the students from the well-to-do families. This, added to the fact that she had to monitor Ray Laxon, who didn¡¯t show a hint of suspicion, Misa felt that she had aged twenty years in the span of two months. She scrolled through her documents on Ray Laxon. There had been rumours that there was a dispute between Ray Laxon and his father, Heron Laxon, and that Ray had practically left the Laxon Family and Aurum Guild. And judging by the fact that he hadn¡¯t contacted anyone from his family even once, even his sister, since he came to the Academy, she decided to conclude that Ray Laxon had no information on the secret meetings between the Chaos Alliance and Aurum Guild. She decided to send her findings to the Hero League, once Ray came back from his vacation. She had pulled some strings to find his destination, thinking it might be some secret location, but it turned out to be Venezia Island. Well, the Sanskriti Archipelago was surely one of the most relaxing spots for Heroes in the new human world. Dungeons rarely opened there, so it was good for a refreshing runaway from the Dungeon-laden Human Continent. ¡®Well, now that Ray Laxon is out of suspicion, the Hero League will probably put their resources into investigating Edward Martin.¡¯ Now that was a person she believed could collude with the Fallen. The infamous love-child of Heron Laxon and his mistress. It had caused quite a scandal, when the news came out, considering people thought that Heron and his wife had quite a good relationship. What Misa found even more detestable was the fact that Edward''s public reputation was squeaky clean as a respectable A+ Rank Hero. But behind the scenes, he was scum that the world would be much better without. Always showing off his connections and using them to set up multiple businesses that were dangling on the thin line between legal and illegal. His morality had already hit rock bottom, making her sometimes wonder how this scum and the introverted Ray Laxon were even siblings. Fed up from the stress, she decided to trash out all her problems and began to take a power nap. Ten minutes later, she opened her eyes to a more refreshing world. ¡°Um, Misa, you have to go as a substitute for Ray to the Alpha class.¡±, a female professor reminded her. The reality of the world came crashing down on her. ¡°I will be heading out in a minute.¡±, she responded, mentally preparing herself for the class. A minute later, she got up from her seat and went to the Alpha Class. From outside the hall door, she could see the students chatting amongst themselves. Luke was surrounded by his lackeys, while Rhian was talking to Rachel. Luke was stealing several glances at Rachel and glared at Rhian whenever she would laugh at whatever he said. The corners of her lips lifted up. Misa had enough life experience to know what was happening here. Noone knew this, but secretly, she was a big fan of romantic dramas. Love triangles were her favourite, followed by cheating spouse revenge stories. ¡®Guess this will keep me entertained for a while.¡¯ As soon as she stepped through the door, the hall instantly quieted down and the attention of all the students fell on her. One good thing about being a drop-dead gorgeous beauty was that she didn¡¯t have to sacrifice her sanity to quiet down an entire class of teenagers every day. Misa knew she was beautiful and she squeezed out every drop of usefulness she could from it. And she was strong enough, being an S+ Rank Hero, to stir away the bad attention, so she wasn''t really troubled with it. ¡°Well everyone, since your Magic Theory professor is on a vacation this week, you will be attending the Mana Control class with me. Put on your uniforms and meet me at the training grounds.¡± Saying that she left the hall to go to prepare for the exercise. Ten minutes later, all the students were standing in front of her in the training ground. They were wearing tight black spandex uniforms with blue stripes on them. Misa herself was wearing a training uniform but this one had golden stripes on it. ¡°Well now that everyone is here, come and get your weapons.¡± Behind her were multiple tables, set up with all types of weapons. Swords, spears, bows and arrows, daggers, whips, and guns. Unlike regular weapons, these were perfectly safe and made to avoid lethal wounds during training. After everyone had taken their weapons, she started to divide the students into groups to perform mock battles. She had memorised the names of all of Luke¡¯s lackeys and made sure to keep them as far away from Rhian as possible. Soon the sounds of weapons clashing could be heard all over the ground. Misa surveyed her students to evaluate their fighting styles and check them for any weak points or flaws. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. As she checked Rhian¡¯s performance she was a bit surprised. His sword movements, itself were flawless but she found something wrong. The sword movement was a bit familiar to her. She had seen Edward Martin use a similar type of sword art. His sword art utilised the elements surrounding him to increase the power of his attacks. Rhian¡¯s sword style gave her a similar feeling. ¡®It¡¯s a strong style. I wonder who he copied it from.¡¯ There were a few Sword Arts with moves that utilised a person''s surroundings instead of relying on direct attacks and techniques. But no matter how hard he tries to copy them unless he obtained a skill for element control or a Sword Art that provides temporary terrain control, it would be hard for Rhian to reach his full potential. Well, considering how strong he was, I am sure any one of the organizations he joins in the future, they will be happy to attain one for him. Still Misa decided to advise Rhian about it after class, since he won''t be able to fully utilise his power, without the Skill. Whatever decision he will make after that, will be on him after that. ¡°Ahh.¡±, a shout came from behind her. Misa turned to find a boy falling to the ground. His opponent, an E+ Rank named Thomas, was looking at the fallen student from above, a mocking smile decorating his face. She had seen boys like that before -bullies, who increased their self-esteem by looking down on others. Though Misa was not a fan of such acts, she wasn¡¯t going to do anything about it. A Hero who can¡¯t even stand up for himself would never be able to protect people. He will only be a burden to his fellow Heroes. That is why such buds are best cut off before they can put others and themselves in danger. It was cruel but reality was hardly ever easy. She noted down the name of the other boy. He had bangs covering part of his face and a b¨­ staff in his hand. ¡®His name was Rohan Claeg if I remember correctly. There were rumours that he could see ghosts or something.¡¯ In the past, stuff about psychics would have been dismissed as a bunch of fake rumours. But ever since mana descended into the world, many descendants of famous shamans had Awakened with powerful Skills. It would be hard to say whether the rumours surrounding him were fake or not. After completing her evaluation, she walked over to them. Rohan had a big cut on his forearm. ¡°Rohan, go to the nursing station and get that wound patched up. Thomas, you can go and find another partner to fight.¡±, she ordered the two. Rohan slowly got up from the ground and walked over to the nursing station, a bit away from the ground. A healer there placed a hand on the wound and light started emitting from it. Soon, his arm was as good as new. Heroes with Light Mana Compatibility were quite rare, covering only about 1% of the Hero Population, making their healing powers highly coveted. After checking that Rohan was okay, Misa returned to evaluating her students. After the two-hour class was over, she went back to the staff room to grab a coffee. Her desk was covered with documents she needed to send to the League. ¡®Guess it''s another busy day for me.¡¯ Misa sighed as she sipped the coffee and began her work.
Rhian was busy practising his Skills. The first-years had been given a 105-storey building as their dorm, with each floor having 15 flats. The bottom three floors consisted of a mess, an open gym, and a recreation room. As one went from the bottom to the top, the Rank they had scored will be higher. On the top, there were 3 penthouses, housed by the top three first years. Each penthouse was equipped with a personal gym and training room. Currently, Rhian was practising his Sword Art in his training room. There were several empty blood bags on the floor, and the blood inside them was orbiting around Rhian. This was his Skill, ''Blood Manipulation''. Since he couldn¡¯t practice it during class, he was making up for it now. Things had been so much easier before he came to the Academy. He could go to the wild forests outside the city barriers, and practise his Demonic Dance Art for days, away from the public eye, and even kill monsters and sell them to make a quick buck. But now that he had classes for five days, his practical training was restricted to just the weekends. But, he was happy with the fact that the goal he had in mind when coming to the Academy was progressing smoothly. His knowledge about mana had increased significantly and he could witness his efforts in his training. Professor Ray, unlike what he previously thought, was quite helpful, even recommending Rhian some books when asked. Though weirdly, he didn¡¯t try to get close to him like some other Professors who tried to get close to the #1 First Year, hoping to take credit when he makes it big in the future. Professor Ray kept their interactions strictly professional, never mocking him, unlike all the other Professors that came from well-to-do families. Rhian, who knew the importance of power, and was familiar with corrupt ideals it brought with it, felt it quite refreshing to see an unbiased person. Rhian decided to form a healthy connection with him for future use. Rhian went back to focusing on his training. Currently, he was trying to shape the blood into different kinds of weapons as fast as possible. In his previous life, it would happen without him even thinking, much like an instinct. But in his current state, unless he held a solid image of what he wanted it to transform into, the blood would not take shape. After using the Blood Domination Skill for three hours, Rhian drank a Mana Potion and started to train his other skill, ''Blood Absorption''. He took out a blood bag from his dimensional ring. Since he couldn¡¯t get his hands on the blood of Awakened humans, he decided to use the blood of monsters he had hunted last weekend. He slowly started to sip the red liquid, careful not to make a mess. A small laugh came out, as Rhian imagined how ridiculous he was looking right now. If anyone entered the room right now, they would be thinking that Rhian was a vampire, ready to prey on his next victim. The blood he was sipping currently came from a Cyclops that he had hunted. ¡®Honestly, I can never get used to the metallic taste. Neither in my previous life nor this one.¡¯ Once the blood was in his system, he could see memories of the enormous monster hunting small rabbits and wolves in a forest. The one flaw of Blood Absorption was that Rhian never got to choose the memories or skills he could use after drinking the blood. But coincidentally, the ones he got were mostly always useful to him, in one way or another. It was like some God was helping him to take his revenge. ¡®Well, there should be some sort of God or higher being somewhere in the world. Otherwise, there would be no way I could reincarnate on another planet and get a second chance at life.¡¯ He would get stronger on Earth, hidden away from the Demon Lord, and when he was ready, he would show no mercy to the Demon Lord. And that other guy. Rhian still remembered about him. One day, he suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was suddenly appointed as the Demon Lord¡¯s right-hand man. He was his greatest advisor, and also the one who led the Demon Lord down his path of destruction. The annihilation of Rhian¡¯s family was also something that man had planned. When Rhian first got his memories back, the first thing he had vowed was to rip that man, limb from limb. ¡®Knock, knock¡¯, the sound of knocking from his door brought him out of his thoughts. ¡®Crap, I forgot I was supposed to meet Rachel.¡¯ Rhian quickly started to stuff the blood bags in his ring and locked up the room. His training room was no different from a crime scene at the moment. ¡°Just a moment.¡±, he shouted out, as he started to change out of his bloodied uniform and quickly took a shower, to wash away the smell of the blood lingering on him. Five minutes later, he opened his door to find Rachel giving him a stink eye. ¡°You forgot about our plan, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I am sorry. Training took too long. But I am ready now.¡± ¡°You are such a training freak.¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t become the #1 First Year for nothing.¡± ¡°Haha. Don¡¯t worry. I will snatch that title away from you when they reshuffle the ranks in a few months, after the mid-term exams.¡± Chatting and laughing, the two entered the Academy Portal and came out of the Capital City Portal Station. Rhian was originally from Aquilo City, the Northern City, bordering the domain of the elves. Since he didn''t know much about Capital City, Rachel recommended that they go on a tour of the city today. Leaving the Portal Station, they found themselves in the southern part of the town. It was the commercial district of the city and was quite lively in the evening. The dark purple sky, along with the lights of the market was quite a beautiful sight. ¡°Come on, let''s have a look. The shops here sell everything.¡± Rachel dragged him to a clothing store. There, Rachel dressed him up in so many different outfits that Rhian swore not to even look at another clothing store for the next ten years. After purchasing a pair of jeans and a hoodie, they decided to go to a nearby caf¨¦ that had quite a good review on social media. But when they went inside, they met an unexpected acquaintance. ¡°Miss Misa, I didn¡¯t think we would see you here.¡±, Rachel greeted their teacher. ¡°Ah. Rhian and Rachel. Had fun shopping?¡± Misa asked, noticing the shopping bag in Rhian¡¯s hand. ¡°Ah. We were just touring Capital City since Rhian isn¡¯t from around here. What are you doing outside the Academy at this hour?¡± ¡°Ah, I just came back from the Hero League Headquarters. I had to drop off some documents.¡± ¡°Oh. Umm, did you see my grandfather by any chance? He hasn¡¯t come home in a while.¡± Rachel hesitantly asked. ¡°As a matter of fact, I just did. But you know how busy it is being the Head of the League. Keeps you up all night. And the documents I dropped off are probably not gonna help that.¡± Misa replied awkwardly to her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I was just a bit worried. I will text him later.¡± ¡°Sure, you do that. Well, then, you two enjoy your date, while I head back to the Academy for work. Oh, and don¡¯t forget you guys got a curfew. Be back before 9.¡± She reminded them, as she left the caf¨¦, sipping her takeaway coffee. ¡°Um, this is not a d-date.¡±, Rachel tried to explain, but their teacher was already gone. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t we go grab ourselves some coffee and enjoy this¡­date?¡± Rhian offered with a huge smile on his face. ¡°It is not a date.¡± Rachel punched his shoulder before the two of them went up to the barista. Chapter 11: Training I had spent the entire night doing work, so it was no wonder I greeted my morning at 11 AM. I opened my eyes to the warm rays of the sun, the gentle waves of the sea, and the eyes of a golden snake, staring at me from above my chest. In my previous life, I would have been shocked to open my eyes to such a scene, but considering what I had gone through in that Dungeon, my threshold for fear had gone through some major changes. Guess I was slowly assimilating into this world. But it was shocking, nonetheless, to wake up to a snake in the morning. ¡°Can you change into another animal, like a puppy or something?¡± I asked out of curiosity. I remembered Arcadeus'' special ability from the novel. It was also the main reason why I decided to choose him. ¡°Well, I am the Formless Spirit. Whenever I go up a new Rank, a new form is added to my arsenal.¡± ¡°How far are you from the D Rank?¡± ¡°I am pretty close to it. But before that, can you give me something to eat? I am hungry.¡± I took out another two corpses, before going to freshen up in the washroom. When I returned, the bodies were gone, leaving behind a very swollen snake. ¡®What a glutton!¡¯ I left the room and went down to get some sustenance. Miss Maria¡¯s daughter, whose name I learned was Jasmine, greeted me. ¡°You slept in today, Mr. Ray.¡± ¡°I was up all night doing work.¡± I explained. ¡°Can I get something to eat?¡± ¡°Well, we usually stop serving breakfast by 10, but for you, I can make an exception.¡± She said with a shy smile. Jasmine went into the kitchen and a few minutes later came out with toast and eggs, along with a cup of espresso. While I ate my breakfast, Jasmine took a cloth and started to clean the tables. I could feel her stealing glances at me from the corner of her eye. Ray seemed quite popular with his handsome face and good physique. What a surprise that such a good-looking man was still an amateur in the love department. Too bad, I didn¡¯t have his looks in my previous life. I could have become a model or maybe even an actor. Ignoring Jasmine''s glances, I focused on the scenery. The waters were waving outside the windows and I felt quite relaxed. I could understand why Father Jacob said this was the best lodge to stay at. It was a good place to relax, if not for the recent monster invasion. After having breakfast I went out to explore the town. The buildings didn¡¯t have a lot of damage since all the monsters stayed in the waterways. A few broken boats were drifting here and there, but otherwise, it was all good. Many people were floating in gondolas, selling all kinds of stuff. Most of them were packing up their wares, which mostly consisted of the leftover fish and other types of seafood that had been caught and brought early in the morning. As I walked on the side paths, many of these drifting residents stared at me, but none of them approached me, a treatment quite familiar to me now. Not that I complained. The only reason I came here was because of the Dungeon, and now Mike. I will probably never see the people here again and thus, didn¡¯t feel the need to befriend any of them. During breakfast, I asked Jasmine about Mike, and I realised why he was antagonised so much. According to her, a few years back another Dungeon had opened up in the area. At that time, Mikael¡¯s father, Mark, used to tell people that he knew someone in the Hero League, so when the Dungeon opened the people asked Mark for help. But after waiting for many weeks, no help came, and finally, the island citizens had to close the Dungeon themselves. The Dungeon may have been a weak E Rank, but the damage to the town was still a lot. The people started blaming this on Mark and forced him out of the town to the edge of the island along with his infant son, where he died years later. When I heard the story, I couldn¡¯t even believe how ridiculous it was. Even if Mark knew someone at the League, Heroes affiliated with it are not allowed to take arbitrary missions, so I could understand how no help was given to them, much like this time. Forcing the blame on one person and orchestrating him, and now even blaming his son. I couldn¡¯t understand what was going on inside the minds of these people. ¡®I better take Mike away from here as soon as possible.¡¯ I soon found myself in front of the church. I entered it and found Father Jacob kneeling in front of the stained glass in prayer. Religion never played a major role in the novel, but I knew many references to it existed. I had helped Aries in his research a lot, whenever he hit a writer''s block and didn¡¯t know what monster to make the main troupe go against. Though I am sure, with the threat of the Demon Lord and the mana that has attached itself to the planet, new and old religions are bound to pop up. Noticing my entrance, Father Jacob quickly finished his prayer and stood up to greet me. ¡°Hello, Father, do you know where Mike is?¡± ¡°Mike? I am pretty sure he¡¯s at his house right now. It''s on the southern beach.¡± ¡°Thanks. It''s just that Mike asked me to train him while I am staying here.¡± ¡°I am sure he¡¯s excited about his lessons. He always wanted to be a Hero and go to the Human Continent.¡± Father Jacob subconsciously smiled, like a father smiling at his son, who said he wanted to go to the moon. ¡°Well, you will be joining him too, won¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I will have to settle my affairs here before I leave.¡± ¡°No need to hurry, Father.¡± I exited the church and started heading to the beach where the portal had dropped me off. The golden sand that whistled below my feet seemed nostalgic. The longer I spent here, the more I was starting to forget about my previous world. I could barely remember the voices of my parents. Even the shrill voice my little sister had whenever she fought with me, was something I needed to concentrate on, to remember. Although it was just stating the obvious, I was glad that such mundane noises remained the same. I didn¡¯t know what had happened to my body after I collapsed in the middle of the road. Did I die? Or did someone find my body and send me to the hospital? If it was the latter, then I am sure I would leave this dream, the moment I woke up. But if it was the former, then I would find the mysterious being who sent me here and force them to send me back to my original world. But to get the answers that I wanted, I had a nagging feeling that I first needed to proceed with the main storyline. A few tweaks here and there were okay, like Mike not turning into a villain, and an extra like Ray surviving. But the main arcs would have to happen as in the novel. Then, I am pretty sure that the being would come to me. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Walking on the beach, I found myself outside a houseboat, docked on the sand. Its wooden structure seemed quite old but still usable. I could sense Mike moving inside the boat. ¡°Mike, I am here for our training.¡± I yelled inside. There were a few crashes to be heard and moments later the tanned teen came out to greet me. ¡°Oh, hello, Sir Ray. Please come inside.¡± I stepped foot on the wooden floor. Inside, there were two rooms - one bedroom with all the essentials, and the other was a kitchen with storage. It was cramped but seemed efficient for one person to use. Inside the kitchen, there was a bucket, filled with a few fish. ¡°Would you like to eat one, Sir?¡± Mike offered me. I could see that this was the rest of the boy¡¯s meal for the day. ¡°Nah, I just had breakfast at the lodge.¡± I politely declined his offer. ¡°Why don¡¯t we start your training now? Unlike inside the Dungeon, where I gave you more of a rushed practical training, now I will be teaching you the proper basics.¡± The two of us went a bit farther from the houseboat, to avoid damage to any nearby boats. Mike was holding the Lightning Dagger I had given him inside the Dungeon. ¡°Well, then, I can¡¯t help you with your fighting style. I am kind of new to it myself, but I¡¯m sure I can be of help to you in your mana control.¡± ¡°Right, isn¡¯t that what you teach back at the Academy?¡± ¡°Yes. That I do.¡± ¡°Wait, but don¡¯t you need that ball thing to measure my mana compatibility before we can start?¡± ¡°Usually, yes. But, lucky for you, I am here. And I know what your Mana Compatibilities are. Now about Awakening in the Human Continent, the people there are surrounded by Heroes, Dungeons and monsters ever since they are born, an environment that you won''t find in these islands. That''s why the students that I teach are already able to sense and wield mana from the moment they Awaken. It''s like an instinct to them. But the good thing is, you Awakened at only 16 years old, while most people Awaken when they turn 17 or 18. So, if you train your mana properly in this extra year, you will be able to reach their level if not even higher.¡± "Are you saying I can become equal to the students of one the top Hero Academies? Aren''t you aiming a bit too high, Sir Ray?" Well, Mike was originally one of the strongest Fallen. It won''t be calling it a long shot to say he can become one of the top Heroes as well, especially now that he Awakened a few months earlier, and would receive tutelage under me. "You should aim high. After all, you will be learning under one of the Professors of that very Academy. Now come, let''s help you get a feel of mana." Mike put his palms on top of mine, and I began the exercise. I took my mana and started to push it toward Mike. Feeling the foreign body entering his body, he tried to get free but I clenched his hands tighter. When using magic, mana flows through every part of your body. Right now, I was bringing Mike into the loop, giving him a feel of the mana circulating inside his body, by making his mana act defensively towards my foreign mana. ¡°Are you getting a feel of mana now?¡± Mike nodded to my question as he tried to move mana on his own this time. ¡°Just so you know, you can¡¯t cause someone to Awaken by forcing your mana into them. Unless it''s absorbed naturally, a person will never Awaken.¡± ¡°That makes sense. Otherwise, the entire human population will be Heroes.¡± ¡°Now that you have a hold of your mana, let¡¯s show you what it can do.¡± I took my sword out of my ring. I pushed fire mana into it, giving the black blade a red hue. I swung it lightly on the sand and it left behind a deep scorching line in the ground. ¡°As you see, mana helps you by imparting certain properties in your weapons, allowing you to fight better. What I just displayed was fire mana, increasing the attack power of my sword.¡± ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t this different from how you fought Vritra? It was all flaming at that time.¡± ¡°You mean this?¡± I asked, setting the blade on fire. ¡°Yeh, like that.¡± ¡°Oh, this is something kind of exclusive to the Sword Art I practise.¡± ¡°Will I be able to do that?¡± ¡°Well, how this Sword Art works, or at least the first stage of it does, is by fine mana control. Most Heroes don¡¯t learn how to do it until they are in the B or A Ranks, when Heroes find themselves at the physical limits of the human body. And you just started to get a feel of mana. It takes people years to learn it. So, my advice is just to stick to the basics for now.¡± Fine mana control was tough. Even with the Brahma Sword Art, it would take a lot of time. The only reason I was able to learn it in two months was because the original Ray practised his Art periodically. He wasn¡¯t great at it, but he at least didn¡¯t let his body forget the basics. Though it also meant, it would be that much harder for me to be able to move on to the second stage. I would have to start my training back at the Academy, with the proper facilities. ¡°By the way, where¡¯s Deus?¡± Mike suddenly asked me. ¡°He¡¯s sleeping at the lodge after his meal.¡± ¡®I am not sleeping.¡¯ Deus¡¯ voice suddenly spoke in my skull. Startled, I looked around, trying to sense where he was. ¡®Oh, I am not there, Master. I am just telepathically talking to you through our Seal.¡¯ Deus explained. ¡®Wow, this is kinda awesome.¡¯ I thought back. ¡®I know right? You can even summon me through my seal.¡¯ I concentrated on the snake tattoo on my arm. ¡®Deus!¡¯ All of a sudden, the Seal flickered and the next moment Deus was standing in front of me. ¡°Deus? How did you get here?¡± Mike asked. ¡°I just heard you guys talking about me and rushed here.¡± Deus flashed him a sly smile. ¡°Are you guys training here without me? That¡¯s so sad.¡± He spoke, flashing puppy eyes to Mike. ¡°Well, you are more than welcome to join.¡± ¡°Deus, I am teaching Mike how to use mana. Got any tips for him.¡± ¡°Hmm, well his main element seems to be Darkness with a Secondary element of Light. That¡¯s a pretty rare and conflicting combination.¡± Deus commented, checking his Appraisal screen. ¡°Oh and he¡¯s a Spiritualist. Wow, did they already start popping up?¡± ¡°You know about Spiritualists, Deus?¡± I was kind of surprised that a novel character knew about them when the Spiritualists hadn¡¯t even been discovered yet. ¡°Well, duh. It''s not like Earth is the first planet I was claimed on. Spirits have already appeared on various planets, you know.¡± Now that was something I had no idea about. I wanted to ask Deus more about his past, but I refrained from asking since Mike was listening to us. ¡°Um, may I ask, what does a Spiritualist mean?¡± Mike hesitantly raised his hand, like a student asking his teacher to explain the lesson again. Deus slithered up Mike and curled on his shoulders. ¡°My dear Mike¡­¡± Deus hissed in his ears, teasing him. ¡°It means that at the moment, you are quite useless as a Hero.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± I intervened. ¡°You can practise swordsmanship and use mana just fine.¡± ¡°But without being contracted to a Spirit like me, isn¡¯t he kinda useless now, Master.¡± ¡°Spirit Eggs have already started appearing on Earth, Deus. You are living proof.¡± ¡°Master, getting a Spirit Egg isn¡¯t as easy as you make it out to be. ¡± ¡°Well, I had no problem finding you, did I?¡± ¡°Y-you won¡¯t get lucky a second time.¡± ¡°I will.¡± I spoke up with confidence. I patted Mike¡¯s shoulder to reassure him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mike. I will get you the strongest Spirit I can find.¡± Well, it was the least I can do, considering I stole the Spirit he was originally supposed to get. ¡°Thank you, Sir Ray.¡± His eyes sparkled in awe. Gosh, this guy seemed like a kid at times. For the rest of the afternoon, I helped Mike get a hang of his mana. Deus disappeared into the ocean, saying he was going to hunt monsters and train on his own. Before we knew it, the sun was already setting. Mike was now able to apply mana on his sword, though not for more than a second. We decided to stop training for the day, and after saying goodbyes, I headed back to the lodge. Deus still hadn¡¯t returned but I wasn¡¯t really worried. Now that I knew we were telepathically connected, he could always talk to me if he was in any trouble. And I could always summon him back if I needed him. At the lodge¡¯s restaurant, I had some dinner and then went to my room to rest. The remainder of my days on the island were spent training Mike in the basics of mana and sword practice. Before we knew it, my day of departure had come. Mike and Father Jacob, who had come to bid me farewell, were standing in the hidden part of the beach where I had first arrived. Deus still hadn¡¯t come back yet, but I decided to call him straight to the Academy. Mike was on the verge of tears, seeing me leave. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mike. We will be seeing each other again in a month. In that time, don¡¯t forget to practise what I taught you.¡± Mike nodded. ¡°Father, do take care until I return.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us, young man.¡± ¡°Well, then goodbye you two. See you soon.¡± I took out the white Marble from my ring and crushed it under my foot. Smoke started to come out of it, and soon, the mana in it engulfed my entire body. My vision blacked out for a moment, and then I was standing back in front of the portal that had taken me to Venezia Island. ¡®Looks like I am back on the Human Continent.¡¯ Chapter 12: The Recipe The day after I came back from my trip, I resumed my classes. Miss Misa seemed to have taken care of my classes properly so I didn¡¯t have any problems. Though something unexpected happened when I came. ¡°Mr. Ray Laxon. Are you here?¡± A member of the HR department came to find me in the staff room. He called me out so that we can have a private conversation. ¡°Sir, have you not been responding to any of your family emails?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t really checked my mail, why?¡± ¡°Sir, your father¡¯s secretary asked me to inform you of an invitation that you must have received. You should check it out as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Thank you for the message. I will do so after my class.¡± Once the classes were over, I went back to my apartment and started to check my mail. There really was a message from Heron Laxon''s private account in my mail. I quickly clicked on it and read the contents. Looks like it was an invitation to the family banquet that was taking place at the end of next month. Executives of the Aurum Guild would be joining along with their families. It seems my presence was required since Heron wanted to keep the fa?ade that he gets along with his legitimate son. ¡°Fucking politics.¡± I swore. ¡®Well, this was a good opportunity for me. In this meeting, I would have to break ties with the Laxon Family and the Aurum Guild.¡¯ I felt bad since I knew how much the original Ray wanted to prove to his father that he was a worthy son. The now very familiar face reflected at me from the glass on my office desk. I couldn¡¯t say I understood what Ray felt for his father, even though I had inherited his memories. Ray may have wanted to gain his recognition as a form of love or as a way to prove himself worthy. But all I felt for him was sympathy. He was unfairly thrown out of his body, had it possessed by a total stranger, who was now going to waste all his efforts. ¡®I am sorry, Ray. But I don¡¯t want to die when the Laxon family is executed for conspiring with the Chaos Alliance. If ever the chance comes my way, I will make sure to repay you.'' The next day, since it was the weekend, I decided to go visit Ray¡¯s house. It was also the one where Ray¡¯s lab was. Ray¡¯s house was located at the Cobalt Road, one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Capital City, southwest of the Star Academy. There were many mansions lining up the street, each one more beautiful and lavish than the last. They all looked as if none of them costed below a few hundred million R. Almost all of these mansions belonged to the families of Guild Leaders or their top executives since the Hero League Headquarters and the Top Guilds of the Human Realm were not far from this area. I soon reached Ray¡¯s mansion. The mansion was a large two-storey white manor. Its front lawn consisted of a large swimming pool. At the centre of the pool lay a small pavilion with white sofas and a coffee table on it. The pavilion was bordered by exotic flowers. I could sense slight amounts of mana emitting from them. ¡®They don¡¯t seem like ordinary flowers.¡¯ The mansion didn¡¯t seem ordinary either. The main door had a biometric lock on it instead of a doorknob and keyhole. I placed my right palm on it and the light blinked green. ¡®Whoosh¡¯. The ten-foot tall doors swung open and the entrance hall lightened on its own. The hall was equipped with multiple couches around a glass table. To the right, it led to a kitchen and a dining room, and on the other side was a bedroom. In front of me was a staircase that led up to the guest bedrooms, and another pair of stairs led a floor down to Ray¡¯s lab which was connected to a mini greenhouse outside. Standing in such a grand hall gave a sense of estrangement to me, who had lived in a middle-class family all his life. This experience brought me to reality, just how rich the Laxon family actually was. I couldn¡¯t even imagine how many similarly extravagant houses they owned. The greed made me doubt my plan to cut off my connection to the Laxon Family. But only for a small moment. Wealth was only useful if I stayed alive to use it. The inside of the lab seemed like a normal high school chemistry lab. They were beakers with suspicious liquids placed on cupboards by the walls with a big white marble table placed in the centre, with many different instruments on it. I checked the greenhouse. The herbs inside were organised and properly labelled. Different temperatures were regulated in different parts of the greenhouse, giving life to a variety of herbs. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I recognised many of the herbs¡¯ names. Many of them were used to make the potions in Ray¡¯s potion book. ¡®Should I try brewing some of them? My stock for the Speed Potion and Monster Repelling Potion is almost gone.¡¯ If I can brew them like Ray was able to, I could create a small business of my own. Then, I wouldn¡¯t have to rely on the Laxon Family for money. I took the potion book out of my ring and checked the recipe for the Speed Potion. ¡®This looks easy enough.¡¯ I first went to the closet in the corner and changed into a lab coat. I used Appraisal on it and found out the coat was made from the skin of something called a Mountain Tortoise. I found a case inside the coat containing a black pair of reading glasses. I put them on. ¡®Haa, with these, I am the textbook example of a Professor.¡¯ Though, these glasses didn¡¯t seem to do anything special. I went into the greenhouse to get the herbs to make the potion. As soon as I went in, various screens popped up, telling me information about the various herbs and their effects. ¡®Huh? Did the Appraisal turn on by itself?¡¯ ¡°Appraisal close!¡± But there was no effect. I took off my glasses to wipe my eyes, but as soon as I took them off, the screens disappeared. I checked it again, and the screens again popped up in front of the glasses. ¡®Appraisal¡¯
Reading Glasses: This item can provide the wearer with information about the items whose details have been provided into the server.
Looks like these virtual glasses worked similarly to my Appraisal, except the information has to be provided on its server beforehand. There was a laptop on the lab table. The glasses must be connected to that. I liked these glasses even more now. It could act as the perfect camouflage for my Appraisal Skill now. I decided to leave the matter of the glasses for later and focused on the potion-making. I gently uprooted the appropriate herbs from the greenhouse and brought them back to the lab to wash off the soil from it. I switched on the bunsen burner and started to heat one of the herbs in distilled water to get its essence out. My hands were instinctively following every instruction flawlessly. It seems that Ray''s body still remembered all the practice he had gotten in the lab for years. There was smoke coming out of multiple beakers around me as I mixed two strangely coloured liquids. It made me seem as if I was in a scene straight out of Harry Potter. After an hour of intense concentration, there were 20 vials in front of me, containing the Speed Potion. Appraisal authenticated their quality. I wanted to share this achievement with someone, but I was all alone in that lab. Deus still hadn¡¯t communicated with me. That damn reptile! I took another hour to restock my supply of Monster Repellent Potion. Now, on the table in front of me, there were 20 vials of the colourless Speed Potion and another 20 vials that had the purplish hue of the Monster Repellent. I was almost moved to tears, seeing the display of my very first batch of potions. I even took a selfie on my smartwatch to commemorate the occasion. After that much concentration work, I went to the kitchen to find something to snack on. The refrigerator was fully stocked with many vegetables, beers, and soft drinks. I hadn¡¯t visited this house ever since I came to this world, so it seems like there was a caretaker of this place. I fixed myself a quick snack of chips and took it to the bedroom along with the laptop that was in the lab. I opened it to find various encyclopaedias on various plants and monsters, along with a softcopy of the potion book. I opened the document and started to read it to pass the time. As I scrolled page after page, my eyes finally landed on a potion that gave me goose bumps. The packet of chips dropped from my hand. ¡®Oh God, Ray. I know you were a genius at potion making, but why do you have this?¡¯ The recipe that was in front of me was the ¡®Curse Breaking Potion¡¯. In this world, there were a few demons that were feared far more than the other ones. They were high-ranking demons and were feared even by the highest ranking Heroes. That was because they had a very horrifying ability. The higher the demon, the more hearts they possessed, with the strongest of them having as many as ten hearts. By sacrificing a few of their hearts, demons could put curses on people. The details of the curse can be anything, like experiencing a death where your blood turns to acid or being forever trapped in your worst nightmare, with the only requirement being that the demon should be in possession of a drop of fresh blood from the curse recipient. Since curses required a heavy sacrifice, demons didn¡¯t use them often, but whenever they used them, they left a trail of horror in their wake. And the worst part was that there was no way to break the curse. Once someone was inflicted with the curse they will never be able to escape its grasp. If the Fallen or the Chaos League, who were contracted to the demons, found out about this potion, I will forever be hunted by all the demons in the demon realm. But, the question that nagged me the most was how something so revolutionising was in the hands of an extra like Ray? And how does something that never existed in the novel find its way into this world? This recipe that was in my hands was proof that not everything in this world was similar to the novel. And if that was truly the case, I needed to check what else could be wrong with the novel¡¯s execution. The diary where I had written this world¡¯s events was in my dorm back at the Academy, so I quickly put the laptop in my dimensional ring along with my newly created potions. As I was rushing out of the house and back onto the road, I met an unexpected face. A pair of platinum-blond siblings were walking in my direction. ¡°Oh Professor Ray, what a surprise to see you here.¡± Rachel greeted me. Standing next to her was a handsome boy who looked quite like the girl beside him. He was pretty tall, much taller than my 6¡¯2¡± height. His arms were bulging with biceps, indicating that he was someone who worked out in the gym a lot. ¡°Good to see you too, Rachel. You live around here?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I live a couple of houses down that way.¡± She pointed toward the direction I was coming from. ¡°Hmm, looks like you and I are next-door neighbours.¡± I replied, eyeing the boy beside her. I knew him from the novel. He played a major role in Rachel reaching her true potential. Ryder Briar. The youngest grandchild of Rufus Briar, the #1 Hero, and the boy that was Cursed to die. Chapter 13: The Cursed Boy Ryder was only 9 years old when his parents were killed right in front of his eyes. The Fallen had spared his life, but in return he had inflicted him with a horrible curse that prevented him from using mana. In the novel, the mana in Ryder''s body kept getting built up, unable to escape. It finally exploded on his 17th birthday, taking his life. His death was quite an emotional scene, which helped the heroine, Rachel, unlock her powers to their full potential and also helped her grow closer to the main character, Rhian. Though what shocked me more than the horrible backstory was the even more terrifying real life. I mean, what are the chances that I met the most influential Cursed person in the novel, right after I found a Curse Breaking Potion? There were so many theories running in my head but I decided to bag them for later. Just add it to the list of things I would need to check when I get back to the Academy to see my diary. Noticing me, staring at her brother, Rachel spoke up, ¡°Oh, right, you haven¡¯t met. Sir, this is my younger brother Ryder.¡± ¡°Good to meet you, Ryder. I am Ray Laxon, a Professor at the Star Academy.¡± I introduced myself. ¡°Laxon? So you are the son of the Aurum Guild¡¯s leader.¡± ¡°Well, that I am.¡± ¡®Though I won¡¯t be for long.¡¯ I internally thought to myself. ¡°So what were you two up to?¡± I casually asked Rachel. ¡°We were just going out for lunch.¡± ¡°Well, then, I don¡¯t want to intrude on your family outing.¡± Saying that we left for our different ways. Rachel seemed quite happy, talking to her brother. Too bad, it won¡¯t stay that way for long. As someone who has recently separated from his own family, I could understand how much pain the female lead will have to suffer in the future. It was almost evening by the time I got back to the Academy. Students were hanging out in the Academy gardens after their daily training. In my office, I took out the diary where I had written down the events of this world. Since I had read the novel long ago, I didn¡¯t remember some of the events that didn¡¯t have much influence on the story but all the major events were there. There was even a map at the back where I put down all the Dungeons and locations. Aries had a lot of ideas for Dungeons and other events in the novel. But sadly, he had to select only the best of them to appear in his novel. The rest he left in his ¡®Idea Book¡¯. Now, I wasn''t just an average reader. I had helped my friend during his writer¡¯s block quite a lot of times, so Aries allowed me to read through it a few times, and I have to say, the dude was born to be a novelist. Even his ideas had such vivid descriptions that I still remembered them. So, now I have to check whether this world had factors that were not mentioned in the novel and left buried in the Idea Book. I pulled up a list of all the Dungeons that had been discovered in this world. There was one event I remembered that had not been introduced in the novel. The Hero League Headquarters Relocation. In the unrevised set of events, a Dungeon had opened in the building where the Hero League was located. Monsters destroyed the entire building and the organisation was forced to relocate. This event was supposed to have happened a year after the League was established, meaning it was an event that took place decades before the present time, so its existence, or lack of it, would clear all of my suspicions. I googled up the old Hero League Headquarters in the browser and the web page opened up. ¡°Hero League: Is it strong enough to represent Humanity?¡± ¡°The scandal of the century: Hero League destroyed a year after its establishment!¡± I read multiple similar news headlines, just to make sure, but the news still existed. ¡°Sigh! This is bad.¡± Till now, I was confident in my survival, because I thought I knew everything about this world. But this piece of discovery was very detrimental. Just like how I found that Curse-Breaking Recipe on Ray¡¯s laptop, I didn¡¯t know how many other things would deviate from the original timeline. I didn¡¯t remember everything from that ¡®Idea Book¡¯ so I didn¡¯t know what to expect. ¡°Well, the good thing is I found out about this sooner, rather than later. Otherwise many of my plans would have caused more harm than good.¡± But the fact that I had found and cleared Vritra¡¯s Dungeon also meant that the main events were going in the correct direction. Mike was a major villain, so the details about his backstory remained the same. Well, that was the case until I decided to interfere. Since Edward Martin and the fall of the Laxon Family was a major event as well, this would mean that my plan for them would have to stay the same, as long as I didn¡¯t make any major movements. ''Too bad. I could have used their power and wealth for all the things that are gonna happen in the mid and later parts of the novel.'' I took out my laptop and opened up ¡®The Pandora''s Box¡¯. My first plan right now was to sell the potions I had just made. I opened up the auction page and typed in the names and details of the potions. For the targeted audience, I put the Speed Potion up for Heroes and the Monster Repellent for those researchers who go for Dungeon Explorations. Since this Potion was more like a security item, I am sure I would get a pretty penny from them. Once I had filled up the form, the website instructed me to place the items in front of the screen. I decided to keep 5 vials of each potion for myself and kept the rest down on the table. As soon as I placed the vials in front of it, the screen opened up into a portal and swallowed them up. This was one of the many reasons why people bought stuff from here. Their portals made the entire transaction anonymous. They were also one of the very few organisations that had an ¡®Item Gauge¡¯. It was an item that had a function similar to Appraisal but it only worked on assessing the value of an Item. It couldn¡¯t mimic the other functions of my Appraisal skill. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Now that the transaction was complete, I decided to go and do some training. It was midnight and since the training room on the first floor of the teacher¡¯s dorm building was usually empty at this time, I decided to go down there. My house was equipped with its own training facility, but the ones downstairs had more advanced equipment. I changed into a training uniform and went down. My goal today was to start practising on the second stage of the Brahma Sword Art. But when I went down, I found someone already training. Misa was already practising in the gravitational room, fighting multiple dummies with a whip. I quietly slipped in and started to do some weight-lifting. Most Heroes could lift about 200 kg of weight, but since my body wasn¡¯t used to such monstrous exercise I kept it in a more humane range. After two hours of physical training, I switched to training my Sword Art. The principles behind the first and second stages of the Brahma Sword Art were very different. The first stage depended on controlling the internal mana of my body. But the second stage depended on controlling the natural mana in my surroundings. And unlike internal mana, I didn¡¯t have any way to feel the nebulous mana in the surroundings. So I decided to try something unorthodox. I got down in a meditation posture. Air was the most abundant element around me, so I decided to start with that. I closed my eyes and released Air Mana making it swirl around my body. My idea was that this push of internal mana would move the natural mana with it, and hopefully, my 5.6 Perception Stat would be able to sense it. ¡°You are doing it wrong, you know.¡± A voice interrupted me as I was starting my exercise. I opened my eyes to see Misa standing by the door, her arms crossed. I couldn¡¯t even sense her approaching. The power of an S+ Rank was astonishing. ¡®Appraisal¡¯
Name: Misa Amore Rank: S+ Stats:
  • Strength 11.2
  • Stamina 13.1
  • Agility 14
  • Perception 15.3
  • Magic Power 16.2
  • Intelligence 7
  • Charm 8.6
Abilities:
  • Drifting Steps(¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï): A special technique that increases the agility of the user as they move. Upon full mastery, it can allow the user to teleport short distances. [Advanced Level]
Skills:
  • Voice of The World(SS): The world is submissive to the user of this skill, shaping itself to their wishes. The user of this skill can change their surroundings just by voicing their thoughts.
  • Syren(A): A skill worthy of its names, full of seduction and deception. Whoever listens to this voice will fall prey to its sweetness obeying all the commands of its owner.
All her stats were in double digits, especially her Magic Power which was 16.2, which was equivalent to the average SS Rank. Quite a fearful combination with her Skills. I had seen this before but the Intelligence and Charm Stats of everyone I had used Appraisal on, never seemed to be more than 10. Seems like the two Passive Stats had an upper limit of 10, while the non Passive Stats could go as high as 20, if not more. ¡°Greetings, Miss Misa.¡± I stood up to greet her ¡°Misa is fine outside work hours, Ray.¡± ¡°All right. And may I ask what you said I was doing wrong?¡± ¡°I meant your technique. You were planning on using your internal mana to sense natural mana, right? That¡¯s never gonna work.¡± I felt embarrassed that my technique had been revealed when I barely started to practise it. ¡°Then what do you suggest I do?¡± ¡°I am a bit familiar with your Sword Art, Ray. Isn¡¯t the first stage of the Brahma Art, which is heavily dependent on Fine Mana Control?¡± ¡°It is.¡± I confirmed her facts. ¡°Do you know why most Heroes don¡¯t start practising it until they are in their A Rank?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it because the majority of them focus on increasing their Physical Stats?¡± ¡°Well, that is one factor. But it''s because Fine Mana Control depends heavily on your ability to perceive the mana around you. The Brahma Sword Art gives you a shortcut by allowing you to use it just by perceiving your internal mana. But unless you learn to do it the natural way as well, you won¡¯t be able to start learning the second stage of your Sword Art.¡± ¡°Hmm. I guess I was a bit impatient.¡± ¡°May I ask you what your Perception and Magic Power Stats are?¡± I hesitantly looked at her. A Hero¡¯s stats were a secret to everyone around them, since revealing them would be akin to telling someone your weakness. Seeing my reluctance, Misa spoke up, ¡°If you are curious, my Perception is 15, and Magic Power is 16.¡± Now that she has revealed her Stats, I was forced to return in kind. ¡°Perception 5.6 and Magic Power 7.5.¡± Misa¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Wow, your mana Stat is almost at B Rank.¡± ¡°The rest of my Stats are quite low. Mana has always been an exception.¡± Truthfully, I had raised them to C+ Rank recently. Ever since I had gotten back from the island, I had been training to increase my Rank and I was sure I would break through any day now. ¡°Well, my advice to you would be to raise your Perception and Magic Power Stats to at least 9 before you start your training again.¡± ¡°What happens then?¡± I asked out of curiosity. Flames shot out of her hands, hitting the space in front of me. I took a step back and raised my hands in peace. ¡°Um, Miss Misa, if I was, in any way, rude to you, I would like to apologise.¡± ¡°Oh, this wasn¡¯t for rudeness. I was just showing you what happens when your Stats get enough.¡± ¡°Um, I am not following you.¡± ¡°Tell me, Ray, did you notice I was gonna use Fire Mana before flames came out of my hands?¡± I shook my head. Misa went on to explain. ¡°When your Perception and Magic go above 9, there is a very big change in how you see the world. When you look into a room, you see the furniture and people there. But when I look into a room, I see colours floating all around me. I see green, brown, red, and blue. I can literally see the movement of a particular element¡¯s mana before the magic can even be evoked, like smoke flowing in the air. If your Perception was high enough, you would have seen something akin to a red fog collecting near my hands before I invoked the spell.¡± I could understand what she was talking about. If my Perception was high enough, I would be able to see my natural mana like a fog swirling around me. This would be a big help for my Sword Art training. ¡°How should I raise my Stats?¡± I asked. Misa flashed me a coy smile. ¡°Follow me.¡± she indicated. She took me to another room. It consisted of a large circular podium with a control panel on one side. ¡°Go and stand in the centre of the podium.¡± I followed her instructions while Misa went to the control panel and began fiddling with it. ¡°Begin!¡± she yelled and I got into a pose with my sword. At her cue, robots materialised in front of me. They seemed about E Rank in strength. I engulfed my sword with fire mana and swung. But before my attack could connect, the robots disappeared. I stared in confusion at where the robots were just a moment ago. ¡°Woosh!¡± I sidestepped the attack behind me. I swung my swords upwards and detached the arm that was gonna strike me. ¡°Clang¡± The robot that just attacked me fell. But the attacks didn¡¯t stop there. The other two robots continued to strike me. Whenever I tried to launch an attack, they would disappear and attack from behind. It took me five minutes to take the other two down. ¡°How was it?¡± Misa asked as she jumped on top of the podium. ¡°Tough?¡± I answered, breathing heavily. ¡°What were they?¡± ¡°They were the practice robots. You can change their Stats to suit your training. I set their speed as B Rank.¡± She explained. ¡°Surprise attacks are a very good way to increase your Perception. Now then, we should continue.¡± For the next hour and a half, I was sent through hellish training. Misa abused her authority and kept sending dozens of robots toward me. Whenever I thought I would get accustomed to their fighting style, she would send another group of robots, one with a completely different fighting pattern. After it was over, I lay down on the floor. But before I could get a chance to catch my breath, a shockwave travelled through every nerve of my body. I could feel all the pores in my body opening up, thirsty for the mana around me. There was a slight change in my Aura. ¡°Clap. Clap. Clap!¡± Misa approached me with a huge smile on her. ¡°Congratulations, Ray. You are now a C+ Rank.¡± I opened up my status screen to see if it was true, and it sure was.
Name: Ray Laxon Title: The Otherworlder Rank: C+ Stats:
  • Strength 7.2
  • Stamina 7
  • Agility 7.3
  • Perception 6.7
  • Magic Power 7.8
  • Intelligence 5.9
  • Charm 7.7
My stats had jumped a bit. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see the look on Professor James¡¯ face tomorrow.¡± Misa joked. But I was way too exhausted to laugh with her. Chapter 14: The Academy Midterms The only reason Misa approached Ray was because she felt guilty about spying on him. When she saw him training that day, she thought that the best way to relieve her guilt will be to help him train, since she knew from her reports that Ray''s fighting skills weren''t good. It also helped that the second stage of Brahma Sword Art was controlling the mana in the environment, something she was quite good at with her skill ''Voice of the World''. After the day that Ray Ranked up, she helped him to train for a week. He was a fast learner, so it was a mystery how he was still at C+ Rank, which was the rank for the average third year student at the Academy. She had read reports that Ray was researching something before he came to the Academy, but the research failed and never saw the light of day. ¡®Just imagine if he trained in that time. He could have surpassed his brother by now.¡¯ But soon their daily training had to stop. It had been four months since the semester had started in February and it was now time for the midterm exams. Ray was busy with setting the paper for the first years and Misa was busy with her classes. She had to guide her students through several artificial Dungeons that the Academy had created. As it was for training, the monsters inside were robots and were much weaker than their real-life counterparts. One evening, she found Ray roughly searching through something on his laptop. She sneaked up behind him, to see what it was, and found him, trying to apply for Capital City ID cards. ¡°Hmm. What are you searching for here?¡± She spoke up. Ray flinched, looking back at her in horror. ¡°Misa, you almost gave me a heart attack.¡± ¡°Well, then you just need to work on your Perception.¡± She replied, giving him a coy smile. ¡°By the way, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°Oh, this?¡± He hesitantly started. ¡°Well, you remember the trip I took a few weeks back? Well on the Island I had gone to, I found this boy who had just newly Awakened. I promised that I would bring him and his guardian to the Human Continent, but getting them new IDs is proving quite difficult.¡± ¡°IDs?¡± She gave it thought. She knew people at the Hero League who made identity cards for the new Awakened. ¡°Well, I can call in a favour for you at the League. When you decide to bring them here, tell me. I will take you to the Hero League HQ for registration.¡± ¡°Thank you very much for your help.¡± A big smile of relief appeared across his face. ¡°I am just helping you in registering them. You will have to take care of them, while they live in the Capital City, you know.¡± ¡°I have already readied their accommodations. The registration was the last problem.¡± ¡°I doubt it is. How old is the boy you are bringing here?¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s about sixteen years old.¡± ¡°Sixteen? Then wouldn¡¯t he need to attend high school here? Have you picked one for him?¡± ¡°High school?¡± Shock flashed through his blue eyes. Looks like he hadn¡¯t given any thought to that. ¡°Ray, you live on Cobalt Road, right? I know a few good training schools in that neighbourhood.¡± Thus, a promise was made, that after the midterms they would go school-hunting. ¡°Thanks for helping to unburden one problem from my shoulders.¡± Ray kept thanking her as they went back to the teacher dorms. As Ray was getting off the elevator on the 4th floor, he turned around and asked. ¡°Misa, how did you know that I lived on Cobalt Road?¡± Misa was instantly flustered. She completely forgot that the only reason she knew this information was that she was investigating Ray. The documents of the staff are kept under strict security since most of them are quite famous high-ranked Heroes and their private residence is an important secret, to avoid attacks from the Chaos Alliance. Even fellow staff members aren¡¯t privy to that kind of information. ¡°Oh, well, I was looking for a house to buy in that area, and I incidentally found out that you lived there.¡± She quickly made up an excuse on the spot. Thankfully, Ray seemed to buy it. Leaving Ray, Misa went up to her apartment on the 45th floor. Every apartment in the Teacher¡¯s dorm had the same layout. Though most teachers decorated their apartments fancily, Misa liked to keep hers as simple as possible, since this place was more work-oriented. But even this house had her guilty pleasure. After taking a shower, she went to the bookshelf in her office and pulled out a seemingly ordinary textbook. But the cover was only a diversion. Hidden in it was the romance novel she had recently reached the climax of, ¡°The Untamed Wolf Visits Her At Night.¡± She took the book and jumped into her bed. Sipping wine in her pink bathrobe, she turned the page, ready to sink into her relaxation phase. The past few days had been quite hectic because of all the preparations she had to do for the midterms. She envied those who only had to set exam papers for the exam. Since the physical part of the test consisted of going through a Dungeon, Misa had to scout it dozens of times to make sure it was completely safe for the students. She was mentally drained and quickly lulled into sleep, her book slipping out of her hands onto the floor. Two days later, Misa found herself in front of the Portal Station, waiting for Ray to bring his guests. The glass doors slid open, and Ray walked out with two people behind him. One was an old man, who looked like he belonged to the cloth. The other was a tall copper-skin teenager with dark features. But something seemed off from Ray. Her Perception was 15.3 but even then the change she felt was so subtle that if she hadn¡¯t been hanging out with him for the past few weeks, she wouldn¡¯t have noticed anything. She secretly checked him out and she saw some movement on his right arm. She was about to see what it was, but before she could do so, Ray greeted her. ¡°Misa, sorry for the trouble. This boy here is Mikael Harpoon and this man here is Father Jacob.¡± Ray introduced them. ¡°Hoho. I am no longer a man of the cloth. Feel free to call me Jacob, Miss Misa. I have heard quite a few things about you on the news.¡± Jacob lightly shook her hand. ¡°Wow, is this really the S+ Rank Hero, Misa Amore? I have read so many articles about her.¡± The boy''s eyes sparkled as he shook hands with her, like a fangirl shaking hands with her favourite idol. ¡°Well, let¡¯s not waste any more time and get you both registered.¡± The four of them took Misa''s car to the League and Misa lost her opportunity to check what it was on Ray¡¯s arm. Soon they were inside the Hero League Headquarters. Although it looked grand from the outside, it was much larger on the inside, thanks to magic engineering. The entrance hall was made with fine white marble that glimmered when light struck it. At the reception desk, a hostess quickly greeted them, when she saw Misa. They took the elevator to the tenth floor where she directed them to the waiting room. ¡°So, how did you two meet Ray?¡± Misa asked them as the group waited in the room. ¡°Oh, um that¡­ is¡­¡± Ray hesitated to speak up. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Mr. Ray helped us close a Dungeon that almost destroyed our town.¡± Mikael quickly began to pour out all of Ray¡¯s achievements. ¡°You are much more heroic than I expected Ray.¡± Misa gave him a teasing smile. ¡°Um, well that¡¯s¡­¡± Misa could understand why he was so flustered. When the Hero League was first established they made various rules regarding Dungeons. There were many new Awakened popping up every day, and they all wanted to get their hands on the fantastical items found in Dungeons. Many low Ranked Heroes would enter high Ranked Dungeons and steal the rewards from a tired Hero. Such conflicts led to many casualties among the Awakened. So the Hero League established some rules such as the only Dungeons Heroes can enter are the ones that are of their Rank or below. Though a party can enter a High Ranked Dungeon if they are accompanied by a Hero of a similar Rank. Also, if a new Dungeon is discovered, a Hero has to report their findings, such as the monsters found and the possible rewards, so that other Heroes that enter the Dungeon are aware of what they will be facing. But although such laws have been placed, not everyone follows them. For Guilds, information about a Dungeon and its inhabitant monsters is far more important than anything else. Ray glanced nervously at Misa. Mikael, who innocently revealed that Ray was a potential criminal, looked at them in confusion. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ray. The Hero League doesn¡¯t care about some random Dungeon that opened up in Sanskriti Archipelago. Heroes are allowed to enter them without having to inform the League since they have more or less abandoned the Dungeons at the Archipelago.¡± ¡°I would still like it to be kept quiet about.¡± Misa nodded at him, promising to keep his secret. The hostess who had brought them to the room entered once again. ¡°Mikael Harpoon and Jacob, please follow me. Your identity cards will be prepared now.¡± The two of them got up to follow her, leaving Misa and Ray all alone. Misa stood up as well. Since her work here was done, she was ready to leave. ¡°So, what are your plans for now?¡± She asked Ray ¡°Well, I will take them to my house after this. The midterm papers have already been submitted, so I have some free time now. I can help Mike and Jacob settle down.¡± ¡°The Dungeon test is in three days. Since you are a supervisor, remember to come back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± The two of them bid their farewells. The next day, the midterms began. The first half consisted of theory exams while the second half consisted of a Dungeon raid, where a point was given for each monster killed. Killing the boss monster rewarded the student an extra ten points. The written exam consisted of 40% of the final score while the remaining 60% depended on how well you did in the Dungeon. The first two days, students were escorted to their assigned rooms where they gave a pen and paper test. For the third and final day, the training ground was completely emptied for the Dungeon raid. At 8 AM, all 1500 students assembled for their exam. Each one of them was armed with dummy weapons provided by the Academy. The artificial Dungeon that had been provided by the Academy for the exam, was a maze-type Dungeon, with monsters roaming its corridors. Misa, along with the other teachers were also waiting in various sections of the maze, ready to take any injured student back to the infirmary. ¡°Be careful during the exams.¡± Ray told her as he went out to supervise. ¡®Well, I doubt anything in a first-year exam can pose any danger to me.¡¯ Nonetheless, she did find it cute that he was worried about an S+ Rank, like her. Misa stopped in her tracks. What was she thinking? Cute? It¡¯s probably just all the romance novels that she was reading at night, meddling with her thoughts. Anyway, Ray Laxon was the last person she would choose to date. The entire Laxon family was under investigation right now, for secretly colluding with the Fallen. Ray could very well be on his way to being branded as a criminal. Even if he wasn¡¯t part of it, just because Ray was from the Laxon family, the Hero League would probably eliminate the entire family, just to tie up loose ends. She had gotten close to Ray in the past few weeks and he genuinely seemed like a good person, but she had no voice in the decision that would befall his family. Misa shook off the stray thoughts from her mind. Right now, her duty was to make sure that the exam proceeded without any problems. She could feel the air inside the Dungeon change, ready to prey on any student that fell victim to its traps. ¡®Looks like the first batch of students has already come through the portal.¡¯ She sneaked through the dark corridors near the entrance, scanning the students that had entered. The students entered in groups of hundred, from the last to the first rank, at intervals of two minutes. As the groups entered, the instructors'' eyes followed them like a hawk¡¯s. When the third group entered, she felt Ray¡¯s Aura disappear from the entrance. Before the group disappeared, she noticed a boy hanging out at the very end, clutching at his staff in fear. He was the same boy that got beat up during her class. Rohan Claeg, if she remembered correctly. But he quickly disappeared from her sight and Misa turned her attention back to the entrance. The number of students inside the Dungeon was slowly increasing. After half an hour the last group entered. It consisted of the strongest first-years, including Rhian, Luke, and Rachel. Many of the students were still near the entrance since they weren¡¯t able to get past the initial monsters. The three of them quickly overtook the battling students, slicing down the E-Rank Spyder monsters in their way. Once the path was clear, the three glanced at each other and then took separate paths to make sure that the others were not in their way. Misa came out of her hiding spot and went down the corridor Rhian had chosen. Black spiders, as big as cars, were crawling on the walls, but Rhian slashed them all down. Since the monsters were all training dummies, they disappeared into pixels the moment the sword killed them, leaving no bodies to be cleared up later on. ¡°Whoosh¡± Misa sensed two other students sneaking behind Rhian. Looks like they were planning on piggybacking Rhian to the end of the Dungeon. Too bad for them that this test would be evaluated based on how many monsters they killed and not on reaching the end of the Dungeon. As opposed to his stalkers, Rhian passed through corridors with a laid-back attitude, as if he was strolling in a park, cutting down any monster that dared to cross his path. Misa smiled at his arrogance. Well, he wasn¡¯t the #1 First Year at the Star Academy for nothing. Many Guilds would have already scouted him if not for the fact that they aren¡¯t allowed to scout students unless they were third-years when the internships begin. ¡°Aaaah. Somebody help us.¡± The screams behind her made Misa turn around. The two students that had been trailing Rhian had gotten caught in one of the Spyder¡¯s Web. Their webs were strengthened by mana and renowned to be as tough as steel. It would be quite difficult for those two to get out of it by themselves. Misa hid nearby, ready to take action if the students ended up in some sort of mortal danger. Unsurprisingly, their screams ended up attracting all the Spyders in the vicinity. The monsters started crawling towards their newly discovered prey. The two of them swung their swords in an attempt to drive the predators away, but the arachnids stealthily dodged their attacks and shot more webs, pinning their arms down. The two of them squirmed inside the web, trying to get free but to no avail. Now that Misa judged the situation to be irreversible, she came out of the shadows. ¡°Burst!¡± Her voice, coated with mana, spread through the corridor. The Spyders surrounding the two students burst open as if they were stuffed with explosives. Her skill, ¡®Voice of the World¡¯ , takes control of the target, human or monster, and makes them submissive to her commands. Their bodies would move without them even knowing what had just happened. Misa was ready to command the web off them, but she noticed something weird. Only half of the monsters that she had just killed were dissolving into pixels. This wasn¡¯t possible. All of the training dummies were supposed to disappear after being killed. But there were some bodies left, leaking green blood, like normal monsters would. Noticing something wrong, she quickly opened up her smartwatch and sent an emergency signal to the staff. ¡°Attention all students. You are requested to find the staff member nearest to you and promptly exit the Dungeon. I repeat¡­¡± ¡°Come off.¡± Misa quickly commanded the webs to come off. The students quickly stood up. Misa and the two of them quickly began to run. Many Spyders blocked their paths but they were destroyed by just one word from her. ¡°Hahahaha.¡± Female screeches came from behind them. Misa turned around to find ghosts floating behind her. The ghosts were old hags with transparent, cracked skin and thin, long hair. Faydes. They were flesh-eating D-Rank ghouls that could read your worst memories and shapeshift into the thing that their opponents feared the most. ¡°Don¡¯t look into their eyes. They will read your mind and haunt you with your worst nightmares.¡± Misa warned her students. Something was wrong with the Dungeon. The only monsters that should be roaming the labyrinth were Spyders and the boss monster, Arachne, not to mention all of them were just training dummies. But now she was being chased by ghouls and the monsters that she killed were spilling guts instead of data pixels. ¡°Get lost.¡± Misa shouted at the ghouls. Since Faydes didn¡¯t have tangible bodies, the only thing she could do was confuse them with her magic. Misa had the entire Dungeon map memorised, and according to it, there should be an exit nearby. Her plan was to let the students out and then use stronger commands to kill the monsters. She couldn¡¯t use more force right now, since the E-Rank students with her may also get affected by her powers. ¡°The exit is 50 metres ahead of you.¡± A hissing voice informed her. Misa¡¯s head jerked toward the direction where the voice had come from. She couldn¡¯t sense any presence near her. ¡°Screech!¡± The Faydes had started to get back their lost sense of direction and were now starting to approach their group. Misa decided to forget about finding the owner of the voice and moved toward where the voice had instructed. Sure enough, a door was carved on the wall ahead. She quickly opened it and pushed the students out of the portal. Now she could use her full powers without any hindrance. She turned around, ready to fight the monsters. Chapter 15: The Nightmare I remembered reading about this event in the novel. ¡°A small scandal occurred during the midterms¡­¡± was how it was described. Small scandal, my foot. Students¡¯ screams echoed across the long corridors. I used my Appraisal Map to keep finding students and sending them out through the nearest exits. Deus had returned with me when I went to pick up Mike from his Island, and he was a big help during the evacuation. Not to mention, he had even ranked up during his time on the island. But his ranking up was a bit painful for me. I rubbed my right shoulder. The day Deus evolved, a small falcon tattoo appeared there. It was more painful than the time the snake tattoo appeared on my arm. Another thing I noticed was that no one noticed the tattoos on my body, unless they focused on them. I was glad that I didn''t have to explain to anyone why I suddenly acting like a rebellious teenager, getting tattoos. A falcon zipped past me in the air, bringing me back from my thoughts. It had dark brown feathers with lava red tips. As it flew through the corridors, its red tips glowed in the dark, like embers coming to life.
Arcadeus (Fire Falcon Form) Title: The Formless Spirit Rank: D Stats: Strength 3.2 Stamina 3.5 Agility 4.2 Perception 5 Magic Power 6 Intelligence 6 Skills: Feather Dance(B): With this skill, Arcadeus can freely control his feathers and use them to attack. Mana Compatibility: Air: 95% Fire: 90% The feathers of a Fire Falcon are known to contain the essence of the wildest flames. Its Flame Feathers can be used in a wide range of potions and are sold for a high price.
¡°Just so you know, I am not letting you pluck my feathers.¡± Deus shouted down at me, as he read his own Appraisal screen. ¡°I am sure we can negotiate a price, if it ever comes down to it. But for the time being, come down. Your falcon form is too noticeable here.¡± Following my instructions, Deus swooped down. As he flew down, his wings retracted into his torso and his tail grew long. His dark feathers turned back to golden scales and Deus turned back into his snake form, slithering on the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Deus continued to help students evacuate while I sent him directions from the Appraisal Map telepathically. ¡°Get lost!¡± A wave of mana swept over me. I could feel my mind getting scrambled. Thankfully my Perception Stat had increased significantly from training daily. This kind of overpowered power could only belong to one person. ¡°Deus, go and help out Misa.¡± She had students with her, so I decided to attract the Faydes that were following her by acting as bait. Faydes had intangible bodies, that¡¯s why attacks coated with Earth mana were very effective against them. My sword shined brown as I swung it at the confused ghosts. Instead of passing through the ectoplasma, the monsters were flung away. A bit away from me, I could sense Misa escorting her students through the portal. ¡°Come at me.¡± I taunted the ghouls. They screamed at me in response. Our eyes met. ¡°Ray, don¡¯t look in their eyes.¡±
Faydes: Monsters that are able to read your mind and able to manifest into your worst nightmare. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Caution: Avoid eye contact!
My Appraisal screen notified me too late. ¡®Crap.¡¯ was the last thought that crossed my mind. The female ghouls screeched at me as dark smoke started rising from their feet, quickly engulfing them. I prepared myself, ready to face whatever horror they changed into. But contrary to my expectations, as the fog started to rise, it took a surprisingly humane look. A young man''s silhouette came into existence. But once the fog evaporated from his torso, the real horror began. The man¡¯s wrists were slit and the warm crimson fluid was dripping all over his shirt. The moment its face was revealed, goosebumps covered my arms. I could feel myself hyperventilating as I lost my balance. I clutched my heart as the memory I had tried to forget so hard began to resurface on my mind. Deus rushed to my side. ¡°Master, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I-i c-can¡¯t breathe¡­huff¡­huff¡± ¡°Okay, wait! I am gonna stabilise you.¡± He slithered up to my neck and dug his fangs into it. I could feel his venom entering the wound and immediately my breathing started to relax. ¡°Go to hell.¡± I could hear Misa yelling, followed by the ghouls screeching as they disappeared. She rushed to my side and started to help. ¡°Lean on me, Ray.¡± she instructed me as she carried me out to the exit. Deus had already turned back into a tattoo on my arm and was hiding his presence. We passed through the portal and found ourselves in front of a temporary camp. Healers were rushing amongst the injured students, many of them victims of panic attacks similar to mine. Deus¡¯ venom was coursing through my veins, and my mind, slowly but surely, cleared up. As soon as I gained enough strength, I tapped Misa''s shoulders and she slowly let me off. ¡°I can understand why people usually say to avoid Faydes despite them only being D-Rank monsters.¡± They were capable of stirring up your worst fears, ones you tried to forget or didn¡¯t even know existed. I remembered hearing somewhere that mental attacks were more damaging than physical ones. ¡°Are you okay now?¡± Misa gently asked me. ¡°Just a bit dizzy.¡± I gave her a pained smile. Deus¡¯ venom had cleared my head, but the aftereffects from the attack were still present. My eyes started to get blurry as my consciousness began to fade. It was probably cause of the venom coursing through my viens, but thankfully I didn''t have any nightmares. When I woke up again, I was staring at the unfamiliar ceiling of the Academy infirmary. I turned my head, to find two gorgeous green eyes staring at me. ¡°You are finally awake.¡± Misa spoke up from beside me. I sat up on the hospital bed as Misa handed me a glass of water. My throat was parched, so I quickly chugged it down. ¡°What happened after the exam?¡± I asked her, once my thirst was quenched. ¡°Well, we found demonic energy in parts of the Dungeon, indicating that the Fallen were responsible for infecting the Dungeon with real Spyders and Faydes. Thankfully, there were no casualties but we still haven¡¯t been able to locate the person responsible for it.¡± I am sure I could search for the Fallen with my Appraisal skill. ¡°Can I be part of the investigation?¡± ¡°Well, I am the head of the investigation team, so I can allow you in.¡± ¡°Wait, the investigation head is here, looking after a patient instead of searching for clues?¡± ¡°I just dropped by a few minutes ago, to see how you were doing. You have been unconscious for almost an entire day now. Thankfully, the healers said you were just shaken from shock and would wake up naturally.¡± The nightmares were quite disturbing, so it wasn''t a surprise I had fainted from shock. ¡°Was that¡­ thing, that bad a memory for you?¡± Concern was etched over her. She clearly saw and understood what the Fayde had turned into. ¡°It was just a memory I thought I had forgotten.¡± I gave her a small smile to reassure her I was unaffected, but she obviously didn¡¯t buy my act. I looked around and saw that all of the beds around me were empty. I must have been one of the last people to recover. I got up from the bed, and Misa walked with me back to my dorm apartment. Sun was setting on the horizon as we walked through the Academy gardens ¡°You should rest back at your house for a few days. Don¡¯t overwork yourself just to be part of the investigation.¡± Misa instructed me as I walked through my door. Since whoever was responsible won¡¯t make another move for some time, I nodded at her advice. ¡°Come out, Deus.¡± I called out on my Spirit once I was in my apartment. On my command, the tattoo on my arm started to wriggle and Deus slithered onto the ground. ¡°Looks like you healed up well.¡± Deus examined me with a hint of pride in his voice. ¡°I did. Thank you for that.¡± I bowed my head in gratitude. ¡°Aww. Don¡¯t mention it.¡± I could almost see his golden scales turning red in embarrassment. I took out one of the large monsters that was stored inside my dimensional ring and Deus started feasting on it. Dimensional rings had the added effect of stopping the time of whatever was stored in them, so the corpse was still fresh as new. I didn¡¯t want to go down to the mess hall, so I decided to make my dinner in the kitchen. I took out a pack of spaghetti and decided to make some chicken carbonara. ¡®Ding¡¯ A notification popped up on my smartwatch. I opened up the screen and found an email notifying me that the classes will be halted for the next two weeks and that the staff is investigating the matter. Seeing that there weren¡¯t any additional instructions to stay within the campus in the message, it seems like they weren¡¯t openly suspecting me. Though I am sure they will be keeping an eye out for my actions. Well, not that I am worried. The only thing I would be doing is teaching Mike back at the mansion. Since Misa, who is involved with the League, registered Mike and Jacob in the City, their identities can be vouched for, and they won¡¯t be suspected to be working for the Chaos Alliance. Once Deus and I had finished our dinner, I packed up some clothes and things in my office and went out to go back to my mansion. Deus slithered behind me, hiding his presence using Fade. I entered through the mansion gates pretty late in the night. Jacob was sitting in the living room while Mike was outside in the garden exercising. Seeing my arrival, both of them rushed at me. ¡°Sir Ray, we heard about what happened at the Academy.¡± "Are you safe? We heard that the Fallen were responsible for it and many students and teachers got injured during the attack.¡± Academy news does spread fast. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am okay. Some of the students are still suffering from panic attacks. But I am okay.¡± I didn¡¯t want to worry them by informing them about the internal affairs of the Academy. ¡°The Academy decided to give everyone a break for two weeks until things die down, so I decided to stay here. I am a bit tired, so I will be resting in my room.¡± Bidding them good night, I went to my bedroom. I slumped down on the bed while Deus curled up in a corner, nodding off to sleep. I stared up at the pendant lights, thinking about what had happened. The memory that the Fayde had resurfaced was one I never thought I would face again. I slowly closed my eyes and lulled into my dreams. I found myself in the dorm room where I stayed during my 4th year of college. My past self was surfing through his laptop in front of me. He had a smile on his face, as he rushed out of the room. I walked in front of the screen. It had the same page on the screen that I had opened on that day. The final volume of the novel ¡®The Blood Drowned Reincarnator¡¯. After receiving the document from him, I had rushed out to congratulate Aries on completing his series, but what I saw in the room was far from a cause for celebration. The landscape surrounding me dissolved into smoke before reassembling itself into another similar room with a different d¨¦cor. My memory self was standing in the centre of the room. In front of me, Happy was desperately calling for an ambulance on his phone. And below him lay the cooling body of Aries, his wrists slit with a razor and a note in his hand. Chapter 16: The Woods Beyond I woke up to find a yellow scaly face looking at me. I blinked at Deus, sitting on my chest, and slowly rose on the bed. ¡°What are you doing on top of me?¡± I asked, petting his rough head. He was nowhere similar to a puppy, but Deus still looked cute in his own reptile way. ¡°You seemed to be having a nightmare. Guess the Fayde did a number on you.¡± He had a look of concern on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I buried that memory a long time ago. It will get better soon.¡± I got up from my bed to freshen up in the bathroom. Deus slithered off me and went out of the room. After washing up my face, I went to the dining room. Jacob was behind the kitchen counter. ¡°Good morning, Ray.¡± Jacob greeted me as he set up a plate of sandwiches in front of me. ¡°I have to say, you are an excellent cook.¡± I praised his skills as I bit into the bread. I had been eating his food for two days now. When I first tasted his dishes, I regretted it so much for not staying back at his church that I almost began to wrack my brain for any time travelling Artifacts. I just have to say that Jacob''s cooking skills were out of this world. I won''t be surprised if he turned out to be the retired owner of a three Michelin stars restaurant. As I ate my sandwiches, I could see Mike practicing in the garden. The house didn¡¯t have any training facility, so he was left to practice his swordsmanship in the large garden and doing an occasional swim in the pool. Beside him, Deus was giving out instructions on how to better his posture and slashes. For a being with no appendages, he knew quite a lot about swordsmanship. As I finished my meal, Mike and Deus came in. ¡°Ah, great timing. Deus, come on.¡± At my command, Deus slithered up my leg and wrapped himself around my right arm. ¡°Ray, are you going somewhere?¡± Jacob asked as he took away my empty plate. ¡°Deus and I are gonna go do some training of our own.¡± I replied. ¡°I might not be back for a few days, but you can ask Miranda if you need anything.¡± The Miranda I had just mentioned, was a sweet lady in her early 50s and the caretaker of my mansion. She used to come twice a week to clean the house and restock the fridge, but now that I had people living in this previously empty mansion, I had asked her to come every alternate day, which she was more than glad to do. ¡°All right, you take care.¡± ¡°But, wait. What about my training?¡± Mike asked me. ¡°You just work on your mana control for now. When I get back, I will give you some proper training.¡± I promised Mike before I left the mansion. The Academy had been kind enough to give me a holiday since I got injured protecting the students. I wasn¡¯t gonna waste this precious time cramped in my room. Especially since I knew about the disasters that were going to shatter the fragile peace of Earth very soon. I also needed to get Mike a new Spirit Egg, so he can begin his Spiritualist training soon. I didn¡¯t remember the locations of any Spirit Eggs, but I remembered that in the early parts of the novel they were all found in Dungeons outside the cities. Since not many people knew of their existence till now except for the handful of Heroes who defeated the Boss monsters of the Dungeons outside the city, I would surely find a few good ones. We took a subway to get to the outskirts of the Capital City. I soon found myself at the northern edge of the barrier that protected the city. The residents of Capital City were kept safe from the monsters by a single thick translucent wall of mana that was in front of me. This area was deserted, consisting only of trees since nobody wanted to live anywhere close to the barrier, because of the danger that monsters would attack this area first if the barrier failed to function. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Beyond the barrier, a jungle was running wild, a habitat for many dangerous creatures. Although Dungeons opened up in the Capital City from time to time, they were nothing compared to the monsters that lurked in the woods outside the barrier. The forests, mutated by the high concentrations of mana, had turned as deadly as their residents. You can find many different Dungeons, each one having a different ecosystem inside. Some Dungeons were profitable, some not. The Guilds and the League took possession of all the profitable Dungeons. The monsters in there were either good for training, or the byproducts of the monster carcasses were very beneficial. I remembered one scene in the novel where it was mentioned that one of the Dungeons owned by the League had monsters inside, whose meat can increase you Mana simply upon ingestion. To gain profits, the League opened up a restaurant in the Capital city, selling dishes made from the meat of these monsters, each one made by a five star chef. The average cost of a single dish here was about 1 million R and there was a waiting list of upto 6 months. I thought about going here once, but then gave up on the idea. My palate wouldn''t be able to appreciate all the exotic flavours. It would be no more than a waste of money. And I am pretty sure Jacob''s food tastes much better than that restaurant. "Roar!" The screams of a monster echoed out of the trees. I decided to think about the food later and focus on getting Mike a Spirit Egg. As soon as I stepped foot out of the mana barrier, I could feel a sense of bloodlust around me. The flora around me looked quite normal, but I knew it had mutated long ago. As I walked through the woods, I could feel many gazes pointed at me from the shadows. They must be a lot weaker than me, considering I hadn¡¯t been attacked as of yet. Or the monsters had gotten more intelligent as they ranked up, and were now judging my worth as prey. ¡°So, what are we doing now?¡± Deus asked. ¡°No idea. Let¡¯s explore around for a bit until we come across a Dungeon.¡± We started our exploration. On the way, we took out a few wolf monsters that were E~D Rank. I stored them in the ring since Deus said he wanted a meal later. "I find it weird that so many monsters are running around this place. Don''t the Guild do anything to stop the Dungeon Bursts releasing the monsters outside?" "There are many different Heroes patrolling around here, since we are still close to the barrier. But the only monsters they have been ordered to take out are ones that are strong enough to damage to the city barrier. Normal E and D Rank monsters are not strong enough to do any damage. As for the other Heroes, they probably go hunt further away from the city barrier, where the Guild-owned Dungeons are, since they get half of the profits on selling the monsters." "Humans are such greedy people." "Well I won''t deny that. Now let''s go resume our search." ¡°You know, with this many monsters roaming around, one would at least expect a Dungeon to pop up. It''s been hours.¡± That''s true. We had been exploring for hours, but not a single Dungeon has come in our path. Since only weak monsters approached us, we weren¡¯t physically drained but the mental fatigue was accumulating. Finally, I decided to use my trump card. ¡°Appraisal!" My mana erupted from my eyes and spread on a 15-kilometer radius before returning and solidifying into a 3-dimensional map in front of me. Since I have been using this skill a lot, the mana efficiency had increased significantly. But it was still a big blow to my mana pool. A third of my mana had been used up in scanning the area. ¡°You should have done that from the beginning.¡± Deus complained on seeing the map. ¡°Shut it. You are not the one using your mana.¡± I shot back, as I examined the map. ¡°Hmm, the map recorded ten Dungeons in our vicinity.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to that one.¡± The one Deus pointed to, was a Rank C Dungeon inside a cave on a mountain nearby. It also had the least number of monsters nearby, so I had no complaints. With a clear destination on hand, the two of us began our journey toward the mountains. On our way up, we came across a Hero party, who were returning from a Dungeon Raid. Deus hid his presence with Fade. ¡°Hey.¡± I waved at the approaching group. They were a group of seven people. Two of them seemed to be injured and were leaning against their friends. There were a total of two women and four men, all in their mid-twenties. Another woman, much older and more mature than the other six, trailed behind them with a stoic expression on her face. She had a considerable amount of muscle on her biceps, meaning she had gone through a lot of training. I used Appraisal at the party. All of them were C or C+ Ranks with the older man being a B+ Rank. ¡®From their Stats and fighting jobs, they seem like a strong party. I find it hard to believe they got so injured in a mere C Rank Dungeon.¡¯ Deus spoke in my mind. ¡®I agree.¡¯ I had fought through a Rank C Dungeon just recently. Yes, I didn¡¯t kill the boss monster and had my Appraisal Map to avoid needless fights but they still had so many great fighters including a B+ Rank Hero. It''s hard to imagine they got injured to this extent. I slowly approached them. ¡°Are you alright?¡± I asked one of them. ¡°Ah. Hello.¡± He greeted me. I raised my hand forward. ¡°My name is Ray.¡± I didn¡¯t feel the need to announce I was from the Laxon family, considering I was gonna leave the family soon. He shook my hand in response, ¡°I am Jake. From the Sabertooth Mercenaries.¡± ¡°Did you just come from that Dungeon in the caves just now?¡± Jake nodded. ¡°If you are planning to go to the ¡®Snow Forest¡¯ Dungeon, I would advise you against it. We are the fifth group to be coming out of there today. Almost everyone who goes inside gets ambushed by some unseen assailants.¡± ¡°Assailants?¡± ¡°Yes. We are not even sure if they are human or a new type of monster. Though they don¡¯t seem to be killing anyone. Just driving away.¡± He explained. ¡°You should really not go there.¡± ¡°Well, I would still like to try my luck.¡± ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Saying our goodbyes, we parted ways. The Dungeon entrance wasn¡¯t too high and the mountain wasn¡¯t steep either, so it didn¡¯t take much time to reach it. The cave was quite normal looking except for the Aura that was coming from inside it. It was pitch black inside, so I couldn¡¯t see how long it was. ¡°I am a bit concerned about those assailants that the mercenary group told us about.¡± Deus voiced out, as I got ready to step foot inside. ¡°Well, as long as we have the Appraisal Map, they atleast wouldn¡¯t be ambushing us.¡± Ready to face our first Dungeon together, Deus and I stepped inside. Announcement I wish you guys a very Happy New Year!!! Chapter 17: Nightmare At Star Academy Misa was drowning in paperwork for the past week. The recent attack during the midterms had the media buzzing on the Academy grounds like flies. Parents were storming the office, demanding how the most prestigious Academy for future Heroes could have such lax security. The situation had worsened so much that the Principal had to hold a press conference on how they were doing their best to find the culprits. Since Misa was one of the best Heroes at the Academy and had a lot of respect from the public, she was made to be the official head of the investigation. She had already pulled several all-nighters going through the video footage of the artificial Dungeon. Their original purpose was to monitor student performance so they can be evaluated appropriately, but she and her team were now using it to find clues on the culprit. There were many monsters in the Dungeon that were originally supposed to be training dummies but had been replaced with real ones. Even a swarm of Faydes had found their way inside, which caused another set of headaches since you needed a very high mental resistance to counter them. Even the best Heroes have fallen prey to their mind attacks. There was one more strange thing that happened during the match. Many eyewitnesses confirmed that they had seen a peculiar flaming bird during the attack, but when Misa went through the footage, she couldn¡¯t find anything. She had replayed the video many times, but there was nothing there. But since there were quite a high number of witnesses, she couldn¡¯t discard it as a case of a panic attack. ¡°Find the bird. Whoever owns it, could be our culprit.¡± She ordered her subordinates. A teacher came rushing to her. ¡°Ms. Misa. We got another victim.¡± He came rushing to her, showing her a tablet. On the tablet, it played a video of a female student. A ghoulish woman had cornered the student in the restroom. The two were surrounded by a thick black fog, obstructing the view of the camera. Once the fog cleared, the monster was nowhere to be seen, and the girl was trembling on the floor. ¡°Some of the Faydes must have escaped the artificial Dungeon and are now haunting the Star Academy. This is already the third student we found today. Including the victims from the exam, there are already nine students who have been attacked.¡± The teacher informed her. One of the teachers, James Lanton, who was listening in on the conversation, stepped in. ¡°If you allow me, I will gladly kill the infiltrating monsters.¡± ¡°Thank you for your offer, James, but your position is that of a Tanker. You guys don¡¯t really have the best mental defences. I need a mage like myself or at least a Scholar with significant mental power so that I can have someone track down the monsters.¡± ¡°Haa. Scholar? Wasn¡¯t that Ray supposed to be one of the best Scholars? He was the first teacher to fall to the Faydes¡¯ panic attacks.¡± James mocked his colleague. ¡°At the time Ray got attacked, no one was aware that Faydes had infiltrated as well. He was just unlucky.¡± ¡°Oh, please, Misa. There were plenty of teachers out there, yet he was the only one who got attacked so badly? Are you sure he wasn¡¯t the one who instigated the attack on himself so that he can gain a sympathy vote and not get suspected?¡± ¡°Just what are you implying, James?¡± ¡°Oh, come on, Misa, we both know the Laxons are being investigated for secretly being in contact with the Fallen.¡± He whispered lightly to Misa so that the other people in the room couldn¡¯t hear it. ¡°Mr. Lanton. Just because your uncle works in the League and tells you information that hasn¡¯t gone public yet, doesn¡¯t mean you are allowed to spread baseless rumours.¡± Misa snapped at him. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Just because you got a bit close to him in the past few days, doesn¡¯t mean you should cover for him.¡± ¡°Are you implying that I, who personally investigated the matter, gave the League false information?¡± Misa¡¯s right eyebrow twitched. James had crossed the line. What he said was implying that she had lied to the Hero League for the sake of a man colluding with the Chaos Alliance. This would further imply that she, herself, was also helping the Alliance. If Misa decided to pursue the matter and James was unable to provide evidence for his claims, she could make it difficult for the entire Lanton family to stay in the Capital City. Fortunately, James understood what he had just said and quickly apologised before returning to check the footage. Misa also decided to leave the matter aside. She didn¡¯t have the time or energy to pursue the matter at the moment. Not to mention, this incident had given her a small leverage over James Lanton. But, he wasn''t wrong. Someone inside the Academy has been colluding with the Alliance and it was upto her to find them. But right now her only priority was one. ¡°All of the available Academy staff are ordered to make groups of two and supervise all the sections of the Academy. If the Fayde transforms into the nightmare of one person, the second person can attack it. But by no means should you face it alone. Also, a curfew will be established for all students until the current situation has been resolved. And make sure to warn them to travel in groups.¡± The announcement rang throughout the Academy grounds. Since Misa had been going through the surveillance footage all day, she decided to get out of the office to stretch a bit. It was already dusk. Students were already heading back to their rooms. Faydes were ghoul-type monsters and were only active after dark. They were also good at hiding in the shadows, like the bogeyman in the children''s stories, popping out of nowhere. It was the main reason they hadn¡¯t been exterminated yet. Misa¡¯s Voice of the World was an area-of-effect skill and affected everyone around her, so she couldn¡¯t even use it to force the Faydes out. As she debated on her next move, she found herself in front of the second-year students'' dorms. ¡°Aunty. Hey!¡± A girl called out to her. She was a tall slim girl with jet-black hair and large ruby-red eyes. Dangling from her ears were two large ruby earrings. She was quite a beauty and surely would have been the heartbreaker of many boys. The girl was Miyu, the daughter of Misa¡¯s older brother. She was currently a second-year at the Star Academy and a D+ Rank Hero. Following behind her was an equally handsome blond boy. ¡°Miyu, why are you not in your room? And Rhian, you should head back to your dorm.¡± ¡°Aunty, we-¡± Miyu began, but Misa cut her off. ¡°Miyu, we are at the Academy currently. You need to address me more respectfully.¡± ¡°Ok, Ms. Misa.¡± Miyu reluctantly obeyed her aunt¡¯s orders. ¡°What are you guys doing outside right now? Don¡¯t you know Faydes are roaming the Academy grounds.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what we were discussing right now, Ms. Misa.¡± Rhian began. ¡°We were thinking that the Academy students should also take part in the investigation.¡± ¡°Rhian, I know you are quite an accomplished student. But the Academy isn¡¯t so understaffed that we will take help from not even Heroes, but students.¡± Misa quickly shot down their idea. ¡°It would do the two of you good, to stop wasting your time with such foolish ideas and follow the other students and go back to your rooms.¡± Misa wasn¡¯t usually so strict but she knew her niece¡¯s reckless personality. Unless said firmly, that girl never listened to others. And somehow she had entangled the first-year boy Rhian into her schemes too. Those two hadn¡¯t even fought monsters properly yet, that¡¯s why they didn¡¯t know how dangerous Faydes were. Strength wasn¡¯t the only way to dominate someone. In fact, since Misa¡¯s own powers were on controlling the minds of others, Misa knew how scary psychic Skills could be. It would be too dangerous for students to join in. Misa stayed on watch until the two of them headed back to their rooms. After checking the entire campus grounds to make sure no other students had such reckless ideas, she finally decided to go back to the office. It was already late, so the staff room was empty. The other teachers were probably having dinner right now, but she still had things to do. She took out an energy bar and began to munch on it as she evaluated the student performances on the Dungeon Raid before the attack began. Since the Academy wasn¡¯t going to hold the midterms again, the teachers had to make do. Misa sighed at the thought of the all-nighters she would have to pull in the future. What a dreary life. ¡°Hmm. This guy is seriously good.¡± Misa commented on Rhian¡¯s performance. His Sword Style was quite graceful, as he killed all the monsters in a single stroke. When the attack began, instead of panicking, he took decisions rationally, helping his fellow students as they moved towards the emergency exits that opened up in the Labyrinth. On another screen, Rachel and Luke were performing similarly well. Though, unlike Rhian, Luke would ignore the students he ran into. He just stabbed the monsters mercilessly, while Rachel shot them down from a distance. Another screen popped up. It was the scene when Ray got attacked while helping her. She had watched the event unfold before her very eyes, but seeing it now allowed her to analyse the events with a rational mind. The Fayde transformed as soon as it looked into Ray¡¯s eyes. The familiar black fog covered the monster and in its place was a boy in his early 20s. He was plain looking and would fit right into a random college group. But once, you looked at his hands, the horror would dawn upon you. Faydes had the power to strike fear with their transformations, and the fear was intensified several times for the target. Even she had goosebumps seeing it, she couldn¡¯t even imagine what Ray had felt. She focused back on the transformed boy. His wrists were slit, obviously an attempt at suicide. She couldn¡¯t make out the face of the person, but it did poke at her curiosity. What kind of relationship did Ray have with this guy, whose suicide had rooted itself so deep in his mind to be deemed his worst nightmare? Chapter 18: The Snow Forest
THE SNOW FOREST Rank: C
The pop-up screen notified our entrance. Beautiful! That was the first word that popped into my mind when I came out of Dungeon Gate. The cave I had walked into, opened up on another mountain, covered in snow. The mountain faced a beautiful forest, its branches, blanketed with snow, glistened in the sunlight, like a silver veil. I focused my eyes but I still wasn¡¯t able to see the end of the woodland. After appreciating the beauty for a while, Deus asked me. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be worried about what the mercenary group told us? We could be attacked any time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We have the Map at our disposal.¡± I reassured him. ¡°Even the best stealth skills are useless in front of it.¡± I took out a Mana Potion and gulped it down. My mana pool had been a bit empty since I used the Map to find the Dungeon¡¯s location, but I could feel it slowly filling up. I focused the mana in my eyes. ¡®Appraisal.¡¯ Immediately the map of the Dungeon began materialising in front of me. Unfortunately, my mana pool received another hit. I had to down another Potion since this Appraisal took more mana than I expected. This Dungeon must be bigger than I thought. Deus and I began analysing the map. The woods seemed to be teeming with monsters. Snow wolves, Ice Falcons, Yetis, and many other manners of dangerous creatures lurked in it. Whoever said, ¡®Beauty Can Kill.¡¯ was certainly not wrong. ¡°I have looked up this entire mountain''s monster population, but none of the creatures here seem to have the strength to be able to injure that group. Whatever attacked them, must be in the forest below us.¡± Deus informed me. ¡°Well then, I guess we''ll wait for them to come to us.¡± ¡°Just to be safe, we should split up. That way we call for help, if one of us gets attacked.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Stating the plan, Deus transformed into a Falcon and flew away. I started to leisurely make my way down the mountain. The hike down was quite serene. Despite the map''s warnings, no monsters attacked me. The wolves and bears that I encountered just stared at me from a distance. There were mostly E+ Ranks with a few D Ranks. After half an hour of hiking, I finally arrived at the foot of the mountain. ¡®Deus, did you find anything yet?¡¯ ¡®Nothing. Except for a few Ice Falcons giving me a stinky eye, nothing suspicious.¡¯ I wanted to ask what kind of expressions did falcons make to give stinky eyes, but I reined in my curiosity. ¡®Well, keep a lookout. I am entering the forest now.¡¯ I stretched my leg muscles a bit and then began my dash through the forest. My C+ Rank¡¯s speed was nothing to scoff at, especially after all that Spartan training I had to do under Misa. I could reach high speeds as easily as walking even without a Speed Potion. The forest looked even more beautiful from the ground. Fir trees, covered up in snow, lined my path. Trails of frozen droplets hung from their branches like vines. When I struck them lightly, they rang out like a beautiful orchestra presenting its piece. As I darted between the trees, the monsters ran away upon sensing my Aura. ¡°Woosh¡± Suddenly a huge alert notification screen popped up in front of me. I quickly opened up my Map to check the danger Map was warning me about. Three bright dots were moving on the map. Their positions were changing so rapidly on the map that I wouldn''t doubt if someone told me they were teleporting. I pinched the Map and zoomed in on them. As the dots turned into figures, a clearer image began to appear. Three pale-toned humanoids with long hair, silver like the moonlight, were sprinting on the trees, jumping from branch to branch like ninjas. But what surprised me the most was the fact that all three of them had long pointy ears and had stunningly beautiful faces. ¡®Deus, I got a pinpoint on our assailants. They seem to be elves.¡¯ Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡®Elves? What are elves doing in some Dungeon, scaring humans?¡¯ ¡®Not sure, but we should meet up to think up our next plan.¡¯ The dots on the Map suddenly stopped. This time they were moving toward me. Looks like they noticed me. I increased my speed and began to run away. ¡®Deus, quickly come to my location. The elves are following me.¡¯ ¡®On it. I am arriving at your location now.¡¯ Since the elves were ambushing Heroes in the dungeon, they are probably not gonna want to have a friendly talk. And I am not a big fan of getting injured. So, the only thing I can do is divert their attention. I took out a special potion that I created the day before the midterms began, at my lab. It was a tiny vial with a peach colour liquid. It looked quite cute in my opinion. But this particular potion can cause a small disaster inside a Dungeon.
Monster Love: A perfume that attracts all the monsters in a 100-metre radius. It has the side effect of stimulating the monsters who smell it.
This perfume was the polar opposite of the poison purple Monster Repellant Potion. As soon as the dots came in my vicinity, I dropped the potion. ¡®Crack¡¯ The vial shattered with a loud noise. Immediately, a sweet fruity smell started wafting through the air. Light tremors started to shake the ground. Even the three elves stopped in their tracks, checking out the cause of the unnatural earthquake. Soon a horde of agitated monsters appeared in the periphery, like ants attracted to candy. ¡®I am here.¡¯ A falcon flew in front of me. ¡®Quick, use Fade.¡¯ Deus perched on my shoulder and quickly turned into his snake form, wrapping himself around my neck. Soon a dark layer of mana emitted from his body covering the two of us. The monsters that were heading towards us looked around in confusion, their prey long gone. The rest of the monsters began heading toward the elves'' party. I could see them fighting the monster wave on the Appraisal Map. Seeing how oblivious to my presence the monsters were, reminded me again how lucky it was that I picked up Deus. Fade may be an A Rank skill, capable of erasing the entire presence of its user if practiced well. But it does have a major flaw in that it can''t be used on others aside from the user. But getting Deus has saved me the trouble of searching for the Skill. A few days ago, after Deus broke through to the D Rank, he informed me that now that his Rank had increased, I could use some of his skills with a few restrictions on them. The restrictions would slowly be lifted as he Ranked up, but for now, the restriction was maintaining physical contact with the Spirit, otherwise there would be a huge decrease in mana efficiency. I had been really curious to try his skills since it felt unfair that he was using my Appraisal skill without any problems, and even now I had to suffer ridiculous restrictions. But once I used the skill, all my negative thoughts disappeared. Fade was incredible. As I casually strolled among the monster herds, they didn¡¯t even glance at me. I had a brief idea of making faces at the monsters, but I decided against my thoughts. Appraisal was magnificent as well, being EX Rank, but since it was more of a passive skill for information gathering, it wasn''t as cool as the abilities that you usually use in games Soon, we were walking away from the fight and Deus lifted the skill once we got to a safe distance. It wasn¡¯t A Rank for nothing. The mana expenditure was high. But it was still low compared to what the Appraisal Map needed. ¡®Let¡¯s watch what¡¯s going on there.¡¯ Deus spoke up. I opened up the Map in front of us and zoomed in on their location. The elves were completely surrounded by monsters. Despite it seeming like an impossible fight, they seemed to be facing the horde quite effortlessly. One of the elves, who seemed to be the leader, was a B Rank while the other two were the same Rank as me. ¡°Hmm. Interesting. What are Moon Elves doing so far from the Elf Forest.¡± Deus commented next to me. ¡°Moon Elves?¡± I couldn¡¯t remember much about elves in the novel. Elves were mostly background characters and only a few were important enough for me to still remember them, and as far as I can remember they weren¡¯t classified. ¡°Well, Elves are the creatures most close to nature, and so they worship it like fanatics. More specifically, the three most oldest and powerful creations of nature, the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. When Elves come of age, they choose one of the three as their primary object of worship and devotion.¡± Deus explained. ¡°Is there a difference in choosing one?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course. An elf¡¯s entire magic structure can change depending on who they choose to worship. Moon Elves in particular are great Assassins and have a particularly high affinity towards the Darkness and Water elements. You should be careful of them. They can easily kill you, if they want to. Despite being assassins, who mainly deal in stealth and surprise attacks, Moon Elves are quite strong physically as well.¡± As Deus was explaining to me about Moon Elves, he went into thought. ¡°Hmm. Wait, they are amazing fighters. So why are they just injuring Heroes rather than killing them? Won¡¯t it be much easier for them?¡± ¡°It''s probably because of the Peace Treaty that was agreed upon by all species. The extraterrestrial residents will officially be the owners of the landmasses they are occupying, and in return, they will not harm humankind without any valid reason.¡± I told him about the research I had done about the 1960 Catastrophe that Earth witnessed. It was clearly unfair for the human race, but since at the time humans were too weak to defend themselves, they had to agree to such unfair conditions. ¡°Just the fact that they are here on human land, illegally raiding their Dungeons and resources, the Elves would be in a lot of trouble for breaking the Treaty. They are probably avoiding human casualties since the Hero League won¡¯t extensively investigate otherwise. I am pretty sure, what the League are thinking is that one of the mercenary parties got too greedy about the rewards and is stopping the others from getting to it first. This way the League will only send a small party at first, giving the Elves time to get rid of evidence.¡± ¡°But is the reward here important enough for the Elves to break the Treaty?¡± ¡°Well, now that the Elves are occupied by the monster wave, how about we use the opportunity to find out?¡± ¡°Sure. The boss monster is usually in possession of the important rewards or at least is near its location. We should start by searching for it.¡± Deus and I quickly began to scan the map. ¡°Hmm. Looks like there are three different boss monsters. Two are in the forest and one¡¯s sleeping in the mountain caves. Wait, are multiple boss monsters even possible?¡± ¡°Of course. Larger and High-Ranking Dungeons can have as many as 10 boss monsters existing simultaneously, each in charge of its own territory within the Dungeon.¡± Deus explained. ¡°It''s common Hero knowledge. How do you not know that? ¡± ¡°Uh, well I was more interested in making potions than raiding Dungeons.¡± I quickly made up an excuse. And, it wasn¡¯t even a life, since Ray did live a secluded life. ¡°Well, considering the fact that you made all those weirdly powerful potions, I wouldn''t be surprised that you were stuck in your lab and don¡¯t have common sense about Dungeons.¡± Deus lightly insulted my intellect. My ears turned red due to lack of comeback. While it''s true that I don¡¯t have much common sense of this world, it was because I was studying about mana and sword art, so that I can survive in this war-driven world. How can you expect someone to know everything about a world they just came to a few months ago. I did have the memories of Ray, but they were more like a search bar. Unless I actively looked for a particular memory, it won¡¯t tell me anything. That¡¯s why I needed to engrain the fighting mindset into my own mind so that I can developer a relief and wouldn¡¯t have to actively search for the memory everytime I fought a monster. ¡°Well, your common sense aside, we should start with the ones in the forest. It would be hard to fight in the caves, so we should attack it later when the boss comes out to hunt for prey.¡± Deus advised. ¡°Okay, let''s go with that. And it seems like the Elves are doing well with their battle too.¡± True enough, the Elves were true to Deus'' expectations. Half of the monsters that had been surrounding them were on the ground lifeless. The B Ranker especially was slicing down monsters like a piece of tofu. Seeing his strength finally made me realise that going up by a Rank is a much tougher process than going up by a sub-Rank as I had done earlier. I would have to train a lot more to be able to go from C+ to B Rank. Chapter 19: The Butterfly and The Lion By the time we reached the location of our target monster, the Elves had completely crushed the monster wave. ¡°They would be searching for us now, we should kill the boss monster quickly.¡± I told Deus. ¡°Well to kill it, won''t we need to find the Boss first?¡± The two of us were currently standing on the banks of a huge waterfall. Of course, it was currently frozen, with the -40 degree Celsius temperature inside the Dungeon. Thank god, for the Academy-issued teacher training uniforms. They are made from C-Rank Lesser Dragon leather, so apart from being very sturdy, the clothes even produce their own heat, and thus help to regulate body temperature. Deus was currently in his Fire Falcon form to maintain his body heat. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. The Map says it''s in this location.¡± I looked around to check if we missed the Boss'' tracks. ¡°It could be underground, like how the Red Snakes travelled in Vritra¡¯s Dungeon.¡± ¡°You think there is a monster crazy enough to dig soil that¡¯s frozen solid?¡± Suddenly, goose bumps appeared on my hand. I twisted my body slightly and a spear flew past me, embedding itself in the frozen lake. ¡°What? How did the Elves catch up with us so fast?¡± Deus was shocked, seeing the attack almost hit his wing. ¡°Oh my, it looks like there were a few loose ends on the Elves¡¯ side.¡± a voice came from the direction the spear was shot. I turned around to find a man and woman walking down towards us. The man was tall and bulky, with a rough blond mane flowing down his head, styled like a caveman. The woman beside him was his exact opposite. She was slim with an elegant posture, wearing a stylish pink overskirt dress as if she had come to attend a ball inside the Dungeon. Astonishingly, behind her dark blue hair, dragged a huge pair of beautiful electric blue wings, seemingly plucked straight out of the back of a newly-emerged spring butterfly. ¡°So what is a unsophisticated creature such as your unsightly self doing in front of us?¡± The woman asked me. Her honey-sweet voice made even her dagger-sharp words seem mellow. But I was someone who had spent weeks looking at Misa and had thus become a bit used to great beauties. ¡®Appraisal¡¯
Name: Max Diados Species: Lion Beastman Rank: B+ Stats:
  • Strength 11.5
  • Stamina 11.4
  • Agility 9.9
  • Perception 9.1
  • Magic Power 7.4
  • Intelligence 4
Abilities:
  • Beast Man Martial Arts(¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï): A martial art that has been honed and perfected by the beast men tribe for many centuries. It is taught to all beast men children the moment they are able to walk and at its perfection, they gain enough power to decimate mountains with a flick of their finger.
Skills:
  • Sacrificial Buff(A): By putting restrictions on their body or a body part, the user is able to increase the performance of something else exponentially.
Name: Nyra Magicflower Species: Butterfly Beastman Rank: B+ Stats:
  • Strength 7.2
  • Stamina 7.7
  • Agility 9.8
  • Perception 9.9
  • Magic Power 11.3
  • Intelligence 6
Abilities:
  • Beast Man Martial Arts(¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï): A martial art that has been honed and perfected by the beast men tribe for many centuries. It is taught to all beast men children the moment they are able to walk and at its perfection, they gain enough power to decimate mountains with a flick of their finger.
Skills:
  • Flower Garden(SS): This skill allows the user to summon flowers and use a variety of spells with them.
  • Pheromone Shower(A): The user of the skill is able to secrete different scents that can be used to control the minds of their targets.
Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The first thing that shook me was their Stats. Despite being a B+ Rank, the man¡¯s strength and stamina were equivalent to an A Ranker¡¯s. The woman¡¯s Magic Power was also much too powerful for a B+ Ranker. ¡®Beastmen! Being fellow worshippers of Mother Nature, they have been allies of the Elves for a very long time.¡¯ Deus spoke in my mind. ¡®And their Ranks and Stats are much higher than yours, thanks to the different structures of their bodies. There¡¯s no way you will be able to defeat them, even if I help you.¡¯ That much was obvious to me. Our Stats had quite a big difference. The best-case scenario right now will be if I can talk my way out of a fight. ¡°So, may I ask what the two of you are doing inside this Dungeon?¡± I asked the beast men. ¡°Not on a vacation, I guess.¡± ¡°Whoosh!¡± They released their Auras on me. I steeled myself, ready to choose flight at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°Haha. You are funny.¡± The lion guy started to laugh. ¡°Enough, Max. We need to find the Boss.¡± The woman slapped her colleague¡¯s shoulder. Her movement contained extraordinary elegance in them as if she was a noble. ¡°Come on, Nyra. It''s been a while since I have had a proper fight. All the humans here ran away the moment Sylver¡¯s team attacked them. What a bunch of pussies!¡± The man looked at me with hungry eyes. ¡°Now, this. Hah! I love someone who''s ready for a fight. He must have given the Elves a run for their money.¡± Looks like these two think I had a trick up my sleeve, which was why the Elves failed to stop me. The potion was indeed great, but I doubt the monsters here would be able to do anything to these two here. The butterfly woman, Nyra, scowled at me, wondering what kind of tricks I could possibly have. ¡®Ray, what should we do now?¡¯ Deus asked me telepathically. ¡®I think we should make a run for it with Fade.¡¯ ¡°Human, warn your Spirit not to make any sudden movements.¡± Nyra warned me, disapproval dripping down her tongue as if she even hated conversing with a low-born creature such as me. I looked at her in shock. Telepathic communications can only be heard by the contractors. ¡°I didn¡¯t read your mind, if that''s what you are wondering about. But you two seem ready to flee.¡± She gave me an eerie smile. ¡°Um, Nyra, are humans supposed to know about Spirits yet?¡± Max asked. ¡°Hmm, I don''t about the League but ordinary people shouldn''t know about them yet. All the other races promised that they wouldn''t reveal anything, but there must have been a leak somewhere.¡± Nyra eyed Deus, as he sat on top of my shoulder. ¡®Deus, don¡¯t change forms in front of these two.¡¯ ¡®There is no telling what these two will do if they figure out Deus¡¯ powers.¡¯ ¡®Wasn¡¯t planning to either.¡¯ ¡°Hey, Nyra, I know. Why don¡¯t we take this guy¡¯s Spirit? Then we won¡¯t have to hunt this Dungeon for that Spirit Egg.¡± ¡°Shut it, you moron.¡±Nyra elbowed her colleague, but the slip was already made. I don¡¯t know how the Elves and Beastmen found out, but this Dungeon must have a Spirit Egg as its reward. I could understand why they were trying so hard to throw all the humans out. By nature, the Spirit Eggs of a planet belong to the species that were its original residents, and would always choose them as their owner. The Elves must be thinking that they would obtain ownership of the Egg if there weren¡¯t any humans in the vicinity. But little did they know, that this world was set so that this rule can¡¯t be broken. Even if they drive away every human inside, the Egg will just move to another Dungeon, since the Eggs belonged to humans. But, this was good. A plan began to form inside my mind, which will get me out of this deadly situation, as well as get me the Spirit Egg. I began to relay it to Deus. ''Hmm. Not bad.'' He replied in my mind. "Human, are you colluding with your Spirit again?" Nyra asked us. "No. We were just talking about how to politely ask for your permission to leave the Dungeon." I replied back in a sweet voice ¡°Well, we can¡¯t possibly let a human who heard about our plans get away alive.¡± A rose appeared in Nyra¡¯s hand. I could sense strong mana emitting from it. That flower was definitely not as harmless as it looked. ¡°If you kill me now, the Hero League will start an investigation inside the dungeon. Isn¡¯t that why you only drove the humans away and did not kill them?¡± I spoke up. ¡°Big deal. Humans die in Dungeons all the time. Especially a what, C? C+ Rank guy who came inside all alone. I doubt the League will move until a few more bodies are piled up.¡± ¡°Oh, did I forget to tell you who I am? I am Ray Laxon, the heir of the #5 Rank Guild. If I am found dead, my father will definitely spare no effort in finding out what killed me. Are you sure they won¡¯t find any evidence that the Elves broke the Peace Treaty?¡± I smiled at her. At the time when the Peace Treaty was established, it was practically forced on the Humans to take their land away. But now, humans weren¡¯t as weak as they were seventy years ago. We have multiple SS Ranks among us. We won¡¯t be able to win, that¡¯s for sure, but we would surely cause the Elves a lot of damage. Even the Elves won¡¯t risk it, considering that their forces were split up, here on Earth and back on their home planet, trying to defend it from the invading demons. Nyra just smiled at me. "I don''t know how high-ranking the Guild you are from is, but whatever Guild allows such a weakling to be its successor, can''t possibly amount to much." I gulped at her comment. Looks my bluff didn''t work. It''s true that even if I died in this Dungeon right now, Heron Laxon wouldn''t even bat an eye. ¡°And anyway, we can just make your body disappear. Then nobody will find out what happened here.¡± A dangerously serene smile hung on her face. I slowly backed up, as those two got ready to attack. ¡®Ray. Do it! Now!¡¯ Deus screamed in my mind. I took my sword out of the ring. Max jumped at me. But instead of defending his strike, I took my sword and swung it hard near the spear that was embedded in ice. Immediately, the ice sheet started to crack and fall. I swung my body sideways to avoid the spreading void, but Max, who was in mid-attack, got sucked down into the abyss. But unfortunately, the ice sheet was too weak to endure an attack from both a Beastmen as well as me. The ice continued falling apart, engulfing the ground and before any of us could react, it finally swallowed all four of us in its dark unknown depths. Chapter 20: Prehistory In A Modern Fantasy I woke up in the middle of a rainforest. Huge dense trees blocked the sky above me, only allowing entry to a few rays of sunlight to illuminate the damp forest floor. My body was aching everywhere from the high fall, though luckily it looks like I didn''t break anything. I slowly stood up to check my surroundings. Deus was nowhere in sight. Neither were the two beastmen. ¡®Hey, Deus. Where are you?¡¯ I called out to him telepathically but there was no response. I tried using the tattoo on my finger to summon him, but there was still no connection. This was worrying. Let''s just hope nothing bad happened to him. I looked around me. ''Huh!'' I sighed. Who was I to worry about him. I was in a tropical forest, and my sword was nowhere in sight. Even if this wasn''t a fantasy world, I knew how dangerous it was to be in a jungle, weapon less. ¡®Snap¡¯ The sound of a twig snapping came from behind me. Ever since I had started training my Perception, my senses had heightened a lot, letting me hear sounds from quite far away. I could tell whatever the sound was, it was approaching towards me quite quickly. Immediately, I raised my hands in its direction, as a means of self-defence. I summoned Earth mana to create a barrier in front of me. Just at that moment, a creature lunged at me from behind the trees. Its sharp teeth bounced back but the shield wasn¡¯t completed, and a large claw scratched my arm. I pushed the monster away, and it screeched at me. As I observed my attacker, I noticed it had the features of a dinosaur, with reptile-green skin and was about 6 feet long. ¡®Ding¡¯ A notification screen popped up in front of me.
JURASSIC PARK Rank: C A Hidden Dungeon connected to the C Rank Dungeon ¡®Snow Forest¡¯
Ignoring the Dungeon notification in front of me, I just stared at the specimen in fear and wonder. Dinosaurs were a species that had long gone extinct in my previous world. And even without the enhancements of mana, they were still concluded to be one of the most savage predators of our world. If they had been turned into monsters in this world, just how ferocious are they going to be? ¡°Screek¡± A scream brought me out of my admiration. In front of me were similar monsters snarling their fangs in my direction. Looks like the dinosaur brought its entire pack with him. There were now a total of five dinos getting ready to attack me. ¡®Appraisal.¡¯
Name: Velociraptor Rank: D+
  • Strength 4
  • Stamina 4.9
  • Agility 5.3
  • Perception 5.6
This monster is known for its speed and strong teeth and talons, powerful enough to crush rocks. Weakness: Attacking the back of its knees can immobilise it.
Knowing about the weakness was useless in this case. It would be too difficult for me to hit the back of its knees with so many of them attacking me. So I decided to take the easy way out. I began running in the opposite direction and began to climb up the nearest tree. The velociraptors snarled below me. Unfortunately the monsters had strong leg muscles and two of them began to climb up after me. Taking advantage of my light weight and superior Agility, I quickly reached the top branch. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. I took out a Monster Repellent Potion out of my ring and threw it at my two pursuers. As soon as the repulsing scent hit them, the two screeched in surprise, before tumbling down. I stared down at them, as the five monsters were desperately trying to leave the repugnant area. Hopefully, they won''t be in the area when the effect wears off. I checked my surroundings, as I perched on the branch. The structure of this Dungeon was completely different from the one I was previously in. ¡®Appraisal Map.¡¯ I activated my skill, forming a map of the new Dungeon in front of me. My head was beginning to throb. Looks like using the Map skill consecutively in a day was too much for me. I could feel my brain overloading with the information collected by the Appraisal skill. The sun was already setting in the distance. Any survival documentary I had ever watched told me not to travel in a forest in the dark. So I decided to stop exploring for the time being. In the distance I could see giant prehistoric birds returning back to their nests. I would have love to stay with them on the trees, but seeing that they were big enough to down me in a single bite, I decided not to be their Goldilocks, and got down. I checked on the map and found a small but safe location. I followed the directions and reached a small cave, just deep enough to provide cover against the weather. There were a few wild animals nearby too but since they weren¡¯t monsters they weren¡¯t any threat to me. I took out my camping gear and after a meal of canned food, I turned in for the night. The tent I had brought with me was equipped with an alarm, which alerted the occupant whenever a monster above a particular Rank appeared in the vicinity. Since I knew I was going to be alone, this was my next best option.
As Ray tossed inside his tent, a few dozen kilometres away, two Beastmen were exploring the forest. Since the two of them had spent their childhood in the wild and mystical greenwoods of the Fae Forests, this Dungeon was like a walk in the park for them. ¡°So, can I ask why we have this thing accompanying us?¡± Max asked his partner, waving the transparent-white silk cocoon in his hand. Inside it, a red falcon was sleeping peacefully, almost comatose. ¡°Because we need to find its owner so that we can break their bond and get it for ourselves.¡± Nyra replied. "And find how valuable that human is." They had already wasted days trying to track the Spirit Egg in this Dungeon. But even with her superior Perception, they still hadn¡¯t found a single boss monster yet. Those monsters were far too sensitive to the Beastmen¡¯s superior auras and had already gone deep into hiding. Yet that human was able to find one of their hiding locations as soon as he stepped foot in the Dungeon. She had never expected the Boss Monsters to be in a connecting Dungeon. Nyra was curious as to what other hidden cards this human had under his sleeve. And if his powers came from the Spirit they had in their captivity, then she was gonna it for herself, even if she had to kill the original owner to make it hers. Beside her, Max put up his guard. He had been friends with Nyra since the moment they were born and he knew from experience whenever Nyra was thinking so hard about someone, it usually didn¡¯t end well. For the other person, that is. ¡°Screech.¡± A dozen of Velociraptors herded around them. Hearing their annoying scream, Nyra snapped out of her thoughts and gave them a single lazy glance before ignoring them again. In the next instant, all the monsters were lying on the ground, their heads separated from their torsos. Blood-dyed petals were scattered around them. Or at least that¡¯s what the average person would have seen. But Max saw every second of it. In that single instant, Nyra bloomed roses on her palms and blew their petals towards the monsters. The petals may look harmless but every single one of them was enchanted to be as sharp as a razor. This was Nyra¡¯s S Rank Skill Flower Garden, that had helped her to be deemed as one of the strongest Beastmen in history. Nothing less would have been expected from the Princess of the Beastmen tribes. ¡°Nyra, how are we going to find this Spirit¡¯s owner? I doubt walking randomly like this is gonna help us in any way.¡± ¡°On the contrary, this is going to help us. We are not trying to find the owner. We are waiting for him to come find us. That cocoon I made blocks any contact between the Spirit and its owner, so the only way he can find us now would be to use those unique Skills of his.¡± ¡°And what if he the Skill belongs to the Spirit?¡± ¡°Then I guess he will die. The monsters in this Dungeon are too dangerous for him to fight alone. And when that happens, then the Spirit¡¯s will belong to us.¡± Well, Max didn¡¯t mind this development. All he cared about was getting out of this weak Dungeon and going back to training with his pals in the Fae Forest, and if the life of a puny human was what it took for him to complete his mission, then it was fine by him. Chapter 21: Jurassic Park I woke up the next morning with a clear mind and my mana restored. Luckily no monsters had invaded my resting area in the night, and the mundane beasts weren¡¯t brave enough to go against my C Rank Aura. I quickly stored all my things and began my hike. The Map was keeping me informed about the monsters in my vicinity, so I wasn¡¯t ambushed like with the Velociraptors yesterday. My main problem right now was my lack of weaponry. I had mostly trained in the Brahma Art, so all the mana control I had practised needed a weapon as a medium, otherwise, most of my spells won¡¯t work. Even with Ray¡¯s memories, it won¡¯t matter in an ambush, if I wasn¡¯t able to perform spells by reflex since my watching Ray¡¯s memories was like getting instructions from a mentor. No matter how good they were at it, I won¡¯t be able to perform at the same or even a similar level unless I practised it from before. ¡®I should have done more training in mana control. Or at least brought a spare weapon with me when I came here.¡¯ I regretted my life choices as I walked between the towering trees. Usually, in these types of situations, the protagonist would automatically find a solution to his problem, but I guess such illogical optimism was a mistake on my part. Suddenly I spotted a pair of figures on the screen floating in front of me. I zoomed in on it and found the two beastmen I had encountered earlier. But as I stared at them, I found something unexpected with them. The lion beastman was holding on to Deus. And to my shock, he was covered in some weird cocoon, which was probably the reason why our telepathic connection wasn''t working. Thankfully, he was still in his eagle form. If those beastmen found out what Deus was capable of, they would do anything to get their hands on him. Goosebumps suddenly ran down my arms as I realised how frightening Deus¡¯ true capabilities were. In the world of this novel, there were two rules for Spirits. The first one was that the Spirits found on a planet can only be contracted with by the residents of that planet, in this case, the humans. Secondly, only those with the affinity to be a Spiritualist may be able to form Spirit contracts. But there was a very good reason why I, despite not being a Spiritualist, was able to form a contract with Deus. A Spirit¡¯s title held a lot of importance in defining his potential and abilities. Since Deus was the ¡®Formless Spirit¡¯, it meant he can change and adapt to whatever the conditions surrounding him were. It was because of this loophole that I took Deus away from his would-have-been-owner, and I am sure that with this loophole, the Beastmen were more than capable of taking him away from me. Though, of course, there was a big condition to be fulfilled for a Spirit already in a contract to change owners. That condition was the death of its current owner. ¡®Gulp!¡¯ Suddenly, my coming to this Dungeon had turned into a much more dire situation than I had thought before. I so wanted to slap my past self who decided it to be a good thing to go hunting for Spirits. ¡®Well, no use crying over spilt milk. Let¡¯s just get Deus out of here now. And I can always find another Spirit Egg for Mike, if I am not able to get my hands on the one here.¡¯ ¡°Hmm.¡± I went back to analysing the Map. There were only a few kilometres of distance between the beastmen and the boss monster. Seeing this, a truly underhanded plan began to form inside my head. I quickly took my laptop out of my dimensional ring. I quickly pulled up ¡®Pandora¡¯s Box¡¯. Usually, in a Dungeon, all forms of communication with the outside world is blocked, but ¡®Pandora¡¯s Box¡¯ is an exception to this rule because it is originally a Dungeon as well. I hate to admit it, but being in a new world, along with my cheat abilities and knowledge, had gotten me in over my head. I had forgotten that this was a fantasy world, and there were monsters here who had been training to survive in this world for decades, as opposed to me who had only spent a few months in this unmerciful world. Those beastmen were strong. Too strong, in fact. And no number of tricks or worldly knowledge would help me escape from them alive, if they truly ever got their hands on me. So the only thing I can do now is to distract them with the boss monster while I rescue Deus. I first pulled up the auction page on the website. It had been a while since I put my potions up for sale. The 15 Speed Potions and Monster Repellents had gotten me a total of 4.5 million R. I am pretty sure a third of those Potions must have been bought by researchers to check whether the potion was real and if yes, then how was it made. But I noticed something peculiar while making those Potions. All the recipes that Ray had created used a very special stabiliser that Ray had personally researched for years and developed in his laboratory after many years. It was virtually irreplicable. Unless I reveal the specific method, no scientist will be able to replicate these potions. They might be able to create low-quality replicas but they would never be able to come close to the ones he had made. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. It was such a loss, for the Laxon family and this world, to have lost such a valuable asset. In the novel, he was executed for his half-brother¡¯s crimes, and in this world, I had taken over his body. But the only thing I could do now is lament at the loss of life. Shaking myself from my thoughts, I began to search the black market. I had just received 4.5 Million R. Even with the 2% commission fee, I had quite a lot to spare. Once I had added all the things I needed, I hit the BUY button. Immediately, the laptop screen turned into a portal and a package was spat out. I ripped open the box and took out the items I had ordered. After a few hours, all my preparations were done. I opened up the Map. Unsurprisingly, the two beastmen hadn¡¯t moved from their location. Since they had Deus, they were probably waiting for me to make the first move. And unfortunately for me, since I took such a long time, the Elves that I had let the monster storm on before, had now met up with their companions. Though this unexpected addition won¡¯t bring much change to my initial plans. I activated ¡®Fade¡¯ and slowly approached the beastmen and Elf group. Without Deus by my side, the spell proficiency had taken quite the hit, so I had to be careful not to make the slightest noise while approaching them. I had Appraised the two beastmen earlier and their Perception was no joke. It was vital to the plan that they didn¡¯t sense me. I slowly walked to the group, being careful about where I was stepping, so as to not make any unwanted noise. After a great deal of time and caution, I found a good hiding spot to execute my plan. I silently hid behind a large tree, about thirty metres from the group. I took out the glass vial I had been preparing. I poured out its contents into my hand. A tiny hill of sparkling blue and silver dust piled up on my palm. ¡°Fwoosh!¡± I lined my lips with Wind mana and blew on it. The little spell I had cast carried the dust, scattering it around a small area, and covering up the entire group. A small spark of red mana ignited at the tip of my finger. As I stared at the group, my eyes met the lion beastman''s. A small shiver ran down my spine, as he gazed at me like a predator looking own on his prey, telling them that any attempt to escape was futile. But it was too late, as the fire spell spread from my finger. ¡°Boom¡± An explosion engulfed a radius of a dozen of metres. I quickly rushed out of there, my Speed Stat pushed to the limit, thanks to my Speed Potion. The dust that was in the vial was made from the wings of crystallised Psyche butterflies. Psyche was the goddess of the soul, and was a human who had gone into a coma because she was exposed to the essence of the Underworld. Later, at the request of the God Eros, she was reborn as a goddess with butterfly wings. I had used a low-quality imitation of those mythological wings for my attack just now. But even as an imitation, those wings contained enough essence to be able to paralyse the senses of its target, no matter how high their Rank was. And since it was the imitation of such a legendary item, it had even cost me half of my earnings just to buy one small pair of wings. I used Ray¡¯s knowledge of Alchemy to mix it with other ingredients to make it explosive. The smoke would affect permeate into their bodies far quicker than the dust would have. And I had used the Appraisal to check the cocoon around Deus, and it was strong enough to withstand a nuclear missile, so I went reassured that he won''t be harmed in any way. ¡°Cough. You bastard. S-Stop.¡± One of the Elves yelled at me. Beside him, Nyra glared daggers at me. Max clutched tightly at the cocoon, in case I tried to attack them. The toxic smoke had done a number on them since they were having trouble moving their arms and legs at the moment. Confirming the poison''s effectiveness, I began to rush in the direction of the Boss monster. Even poisoned, if I approached Deus right now, they would be able enough to slice me open even before I could react. Not to mention, there was no way I would be able to defeat the boss monster here on my own. Unlike Vritra¡¯s Prison, I could feel this Dungeon was on the top spectrum of C Ranks. Its boss would be impossible for me to fight. So, that¡¯s why I am gonna hand it over to the Beastmen while I will go look for the main prize. As I rushed through the woods, I could hear Nyra and Max grunting behind me. The physiques of beastmen were certainly extraordinary. Their antibodies had already neutralised the poison enough for them to move. The poison in those wings was enough down a hundred elephants. Luckily, the Elves were still under the effects of the poison, so the number of pursuers behind me was quite low. As I ran, I sprayed Monster Love on my trail. Monsters in the vicinity began to approach us like bloodhounds. Although Nyra and Max took them down in seconds, the time I gained was invaluable for me to reach the Boss. Soon, I found myself in a clearing. Well instead of a clearing, it seemed more apt to say that the tower-tall trees had been pushed away like Legos as if they were an inconvenience to the occupant. And in the centre of this, slept a huge Tyrannosaurus Rex. It looked about 15 metres long with a height of 5 metres, with reptile brown skin. But despite its scary appearance, it looked quite at peace, much like a cat lazing on a Sunday afternoon. I felt bad for disturbing the innocent creature, but this was a matter of my survival. ¡®Appraisal¡¯
Name: Roberta (Rexy, for short) Title: Boss of the ¡®Jurassic Park¡¯ Rank: B Skills:
  • Berserk: The more damage that the user accumulates, the higher their Stats will go up on activation of the skill.
  • King Of The Pride: Will gain absolute dominance over those who have acknowledged the user to be stronger than them. The subordinates will follow the user¡¯s actions unquestionably.
Those were some frightening Skills. And that Skill, ¡®King Of The Pride¡¯, in a Dungeon where she was the boss, it would be safe to assume that she can control the actions of all the monsters here. The thing about monsters, boss and otherwise, is that the only instinct they have is to attack the Awakened that have entered the Dungeon. In most cases, the smaller monsters have no loyalty towards the boss, unless the beasts they were derived of from had an instinct to follow a leader, as in the case with wolves. ¡®Boss¡¯ was simply used to refer to the strongest monster in a Dungeon. But with Roberta¡¯s skill, I am pretty sure, she can command the smaller monsters to become cannon fodder. And if she had enough intelligence, she can even coordinate their attacks, like a commander to his soldiers. ''I do wonder how the Beastmen will be able to fight her.'' ¡°You filthy human.¡± A roar came from behind me. It seems like the poison was wearing off. Well, I never expected much, considering that those two were B Ranks, with Physical Stats on the level of A Rankers. I was content that their Stats had decreased long enough for me to make a run for it. I took aim and threw the Monster Repellant. The vial broke right next to Rexy¡¯s snout, the smell wafting into her nostrils. The Potion might not be strong enough to chase away a B Rank monster, but it will surely be enough to irritate her. Sure enough, soon Rexy¡¯s face was twitching due to the repulsive scent, stimulating her out of sleep. Her mud-brown eyes opened up, scanning as to what disturbed her sleep. I swiftly used ¡®Fade¡¯ to evade her senses, keeping myself as still as possible. She slowly stood up, her height as tall as a two storey building. Her nose twitched around to find clues about the perpetrator. But she didn¡¯t have to wait long, for two enraged Beastmen soon entered the clearing as well. Chapter 22: The Butterfly Princess ¡®Flower Garden!¡¯ The happiest moment of Nyra''s life was when the Beastman Cardinal declared that she was the possessor of the SS Rank Skill ''Flower Garden''. It was a skill that appeared few and far between among the pages of Elven history. And all of its previous owners had their names written down in history as legendary fighters. Everyone had proclaimed her as the ¡®Butterfly Princess¡¯. To a princess who had been forced to endure the shame of running away from her planet, receiving this Skill was like being bestowed the blessing of the universe. To uphold the grace shown to her, Nyra trained in the art of Beastman Martial Arts, sparing no effort to get stronger. Nyra had already defeated many of her instructors when she was just 120 years old, which for the beastmen, with their long lives, is akin to being a teenager. Now that she was 194 years old, she had finally been granted the seat of the Crown Princess. But she, the Crown Princess and future Queen of the Beastmen Kingdom had been attacked by a filthy human. Those disgusting, lowly beings who didn¡¯t even know the ways of mana until almost a century ago, dominated this planet like cockroaches and robbed all the resources from Dungeons. They were so pathetically weak, Nyra doubted they would last even a day when the Demon King¡¯s army would descend upon this planet. It would be much better for the Elves and other tribes to seize the magical resources on this planet and send them over to their home planets, where their main military power was defending against the invading demons. But that stupid pledge that had been made between all the tribes forbade them from harming humans unreasonably. If that''s how it''s going to be, then fine! But till now she had perfectly held back her desire to kill the humans that she had come across in the Dungeon and allowed the Elves to just scare them away. But now this human had dared to harm her. Anything that happens now, can only be considered self-defence on her part. As Nyra chased after him, she could hear fallen branches crunching beneath her feet, the noise echoing in the deadly quiet forest. But due to her rage, she failed to notice the lack of monsters in the path she was currently. There was not a single sound in her vicinity that could indicate the presence of life. It was as if the entire forest had gone quiet, so as to not wake up a demon that would devour the world. ¡°Nyra, wait up!¡± Max called out from behind her, but she wasn¡¯t going to stop. The fact that the human was able to appear behind her must mean he has the ¡®Fade¡¯ skill. She needed to catch him again before he could disappear. She quickly rushed into the clearing where the human¡¯s presence was emanating from. ¡°Rawr!¡± A huge roar pushed her back. She raised her head to look at what monster had the aura to push her back. A set of knife-like teeth stared back at her. The brown eyes of the boss monster were boiling with rage. ¡°Um, Nyra. I think we just stepped in that guy¡¯s trap.¡±, Max cautiously advised her from behind. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Haa¡­ Just how strong can the boss of a C Rank Dungeon be?¡± A black rose blossomed in her hand. ¡°Fwoosh¡± Black petals swirled from her hand, surrounding the dinosaur¡¯s body. The imminent result was clear for any to see. ¡°Let¡¯s go search for the human, Max.¡± She began to turn back to her colleague Suddenly her body bent forward, making her bow down on one knee. She didn¡¯t know if it was out of instinct or by mistake, but the fear that she had felt in the previous moment caused goose bumps on her arms. A huge claw swiped the space where she was standing just moments ago. She could tell from the air vacuum created by the attack, that she would have been fatally injured by the monster''s strike if she hadn¡¯t dodged it. She quickly jumped back to get away from the monster. Beside her, Max was looking at the monster warily. His claws were out ready to take on the beast at any moment. Since Max was more adept at physical fights, she decided to stand behind him. ¡°Nyra, you should get out of here. This Boss doesn¡¯t seem your average monster.¡± If even Max, one of the strongest Beastmen she knew, was saying that the monster will be a tough opponent, then she needed to leave so that he could concentrate on the fight. She picked up the cocoon that Max had pushed to the side. As long as this Spirit was in her hands, that human will come after her. She will get her revenge later. ¡°Good luck, Max.¡± Saying that she left the battle to meet up with the Elves.
I was kind of proud that my plan was working well. When I read the name of the Dungeon, I remembered which Dungeon this was. After all, I was the one who had given my friend the idea of this Dungeon, based on one of the popular movies at that time. The Boss Monster, Rexy had an iron-like skin and her Physical Stats could give even A Rank Heroes a run for their money, especially when Berserk gets activated. A totally cheat-like Boss monster. As Nyra fled, I decided to gain some distance too while observing the fight. Calling the fight ¡®phenomenal¡¯ would be an understatement, to say the least. Max jumped into the air so he could meet Rexy at eye level. Without delay, he began to level her with a continuous series of punches. Each strike was executed with almost no wastage in movements and every time his muscles moved, I could feel a huge ripple of wind shaking the land. I could feel from far away how strong Max was. But Rexy wasn¡¯t even fazed by the attacks. Her steel-like skin was able to slide off the brunt of the attacks, and instead would counterattack by using her truck-crushing bite. But whenever she tried to grab Max, he would jump back, before propelling forward to land another punch. Since I was getting farther away from the fight, I decided to spectate the rest of the battle on the Map. With this, I was able to see the much finer details of their Skills. In the middle of the match, Max touched his left eye. When he removed his hand, the pupil had gone white, like he had lost his vision completely. Next, he clenched his fist, ready to throw another punch. But unlike before, the force backing the attack was so tremendous, it pushed Rexy back by a few mistakes. ''Appraisal!''
Skill In Effect!! Sacrificial Buff Left Eye Temporarily Disabled! Effect: Strength in Right Arm +2.1 Duration : 5 minutes
¡®Sacrificial Buff¡¯ was a pretty powerful skill, especially for a martial artist like Max, who has trained his body from childhood. Since each of his body parts had been trained so efficiently, their sacrifice would generate a much stronger buff than any other Class of Hero. Since the fight was growing fiercer, I decided to leave the area. I was relieved to see that Max won¡¯t be killed in the fight. In all honesty, I was nervous that I had taken it too far by awakening a powerful Boss like Rexy. The Elves hadn¡¯t harmed anyone, so I couldn¡¯t cause casualties on their side either. Not to mention, I hadn¡¯t developed a strong enough mindset to be able to be responsible for someone''s death. My previous world had been too peaceful for a simple guy like me to be able to do that and not have it eat away at my conscience. I started to scan the map to look for Nyra. Currently, she was holding onto Deus, and from her path, it seems like she was on her way to meet with her Elf colleagues. Honestly, even with her being separated from Max, I knew I wouldn''t be able to fight her and take Deus away. Well, in a fair fight that is. Chapter 23: Cherry Blossoms Back at the entrance of ¡®The Snow Forest¡¯, a pair of geta clacked against the rocky ground. A man gently strolled into the dungeon. His attire consisted of a blue kimono, decorated with cherry blossoms. A red wagasa was held open in his left hand, despite the lack of direct sunlight. His right hand held a white hand fan, painted with a cherry blossom tree. ¡°What a cool breeze!¡±, he exclaimed, as he stepped foot into the Dungeon. His shoulder-length black hair fluttered in the strong wind. He turned back to face the dark cave, from where he exited moments ago. His fiery orange eyes stared at the exit, pity etched across his face. ¡°Cool?¡±, a voice echoed out. ¡°It''s freezing here.¡± ¡°Perseverance, young Hero.¡± The man advised his companions behind him. ¡°Now come on, you two. Let¡¯s complete the first assignment the League gave us and we can have some hot chocolate on the way back.¡± Two young adults stepped out of the darkness of the cave. The boy was wearing a dark olive full T-shirt and black running tights. Two silvery-black studs dangled from his right ear. His hair, hidden under a black cap, was completely dyed pinkish red, which clashed with his clear blue eyes. He slowly rolled forward on a graffiti-covered skateboard, showing reluctance to join his superior in the freezing weather. Beside him, stood a girl. Her clear, pale skin was like porcelain and her hair was silver like a silky spider web, giving her a vampirish look. She was sporting a loose hip-hop long T-shirt and denim shorts, a shade matching her hair. Knee-long boots, ashen grey, covered her legs. A gun holster was strapped to her right thigh. The man in the traditional attire was Sakura Kazuya, the 178th Ranked Hero in the Human Continent and one of the strongest A+ Rank Awakened, affiliated with the Hero League. His ancestors hailed from the country called Japan, before The Catastrophe hit Earth seventy years ago, and erased any concept of countries in the world. But Kazuya has always had great pride in his ancestral nationality and he honours it by wearing the traditional clothes of ancient Japan. His unique fashion sense, paired with his handsome looks akin to those of pre-Catastrophe Nihonjin, has made him quite popular with young ladies. Behind him were the students of the Star Academy, Luca Wagner, and Evva Pavlov. Third year at Hero Academies was unlike the first two years, where the students would go to different Guilds for internships and get practical experience in real Dungeons, which were far more dangerous than the artificial ones the Academy created for their exams. Luca and Evva were the top students in their class. They had both applied for internships at the Hero League and had been sent on a mission, with Kazuya as their supervisor. Apparently, some rogue monsters were causing trouble for the Heroes who went to ¡®The Snow Forest¡¯ Dungeon. Since it was one of the rare ¡®Loop Dungeons¡¯, this Dungeon would never close, even if the boss monsters were killed. When killed, they would just resurrect in another part of the Dungeon. And the materials gained in this Dungeon were not of high quality, so not many Guilds wanted to spend their time and resources in these Dungeons. But if these Dungeons were not raided periodically, the Dungeon would Rampage and the monsters would be let out into the woods, which would further pose a threat to the city barriers. The Hero League tried to portray it as the unbreakable defence of humanity, but anyone who had a brain knew if the monster numbers beyond it weren¡¯t curbed, then they could break it and rampage inside the city. So, the Hero League¡¯s strategy to prevent the Loop Dungeons from going on Rampage was to open this Dungeon for public use, with the official reason being for new Heroes to gain battle experience. Honestly, Kazuya wasn¡¯t fond of such political tactics. Useless Dungeons like these were open for the unaffiliated Heroes and mercenary groups, while the Hero League and high-ranking Guilds monopolised the high-profit Dungeons. And since they wanted to monopolise the talented Heroes, they gave much lower benefits to mercenary groups, forcing them to join the League. Well, no matter how much he hated such things, currently Kazuya was here on a job. ¡°Let¡¯s go investigate what¡¯s wrong with this Dungeon.¡± Kazuya instructed his interns. They began to scout through the forest stretching in front of them. But apart from the usual monsters like Snow Wolves and Yetis, there was no sign of the mysterious creature that injured the Heroes who entered the Dungeon. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Usually, Kazuya would have said that the perpetrator was probably a Hero or Fallen with high-Rank stealth skill, but then why would they go attack a low C Rank Dungeon with next to no profitable loot? Also, when Kazuya interviewed the victims, all of them said that whatever attacked them had an Aura that didn¡¯t seem human. The most likely conclusion was that a new species of monster might have been discovered. The worst case scenario would be that The Chaos Alliance might have sent some weak-fry Fallen to cause trouble Usually in these types of cases proper Heroes would have been dispatched by the League, instead of interns, but since Kazuya was accompanying them, Evva and Luca were allowed to take this mission. Not to mention, it would also give them an idea of how dangerous the missions by the League can be, and how much responsibility they will have to shoulder. ¡°Kazuya Sensei! I found something.¡± Luca called him on the smartwatch. The two had been instructed to call him ¡®Sensei¡¯, instead of ¡®Mister¡¯, since Kazuya was such a stickler to Japanese honorifics. Soon, Kazuya and Evva reached Luca¡¯s location. A scene, more gruesome than the worst horror films, lay in front of them. Carcasses of various monsters were left to rot. Rivers of blood were flowing in the pure white snow. Each of the bodies carried deep wounds, their organs spilling out. The strong smell of blood permeated the air. But the most surprising thing was that all the bodies contained only a single wound. That means whoever did this, was skilled enough to knock several hundreds of monsters alone. Counting the dissimilar types of wounds on the monsters¡¯ bodies, there couldn¡¯t have been more than two or three individuals fighting this horde. ¡°But, Mis-, er, I mean Sensei, why were there so many monsters fighting here? From the way the bodies are spread out, it doesn¡¯t look like the monsters made an effort to escape, despite the opponent being several times stronger than them. On the contrary, they seemed to be attacking with a strong passion. Doesn¡¯t this defy the usual behaviour of monsters?¡± Evva, the smarter of the two, asked. ¡°It¡¯s probably because of the skill ¡®Taunt¡¯. It¡¯s a psychological Skill, mostly used by Tankers. It makes the user of the Skill the target of the monsters around them, while their companions finish them off.¡± Since the opponent used a rare skill like Taunt, it narrowed down the suspect list quite a bit. Especially since it was used in such a wide range. The attacker must be at least a B+ Ranker and quite heavily built, if he was able to endure the brunt of such a huge horde. But what he still can¡¯t understand was why would someone taunt such a large horde of monsters, when there wasn¡¯t even anything to gain from them. ¡°Evva! Luca! Go and see if there are signs of a Boss monster around here.¡± Yes. This situation would be more plausible if the group taunted these monsters so that someone else could fight the Boss. ¡°Um, I don¡¯t know if this is relevant but I found something.¡± Evva reported back after a few minutes. Kazuya was soon at her location. A huge frozen lake was spread below their feet. In the centre of it, a large fissure had formed on the ice. Kazuya could feel slight traces of mana around it, so whoever was here had been gone quite a long ago. But the mana was slightly strange, though he couldn''t put his finger on it. But what was surprising, was that inside the fissure, instead of water, there was a huge black void. ¡°Wait, is that a Dungeon entrance? A Dungeon inside a Dungeon?¡± Luca asked, slowly approaching the fissure. ¡°It''s not exactly an entrance. It would be more appropriate to say it''s a backdoor to another Dungeon. Though not often, they do appear occasionally.¡± Kazuya explained. ¡°Do you think those guys are down there?¡±. Luca asked, as he slowly peeked inside the fissure. ¡°Only one way to find out!¡± Evva exclaimed. ¡®Shove!¡¯ The action was so unexpected, that it seemed that it was occuring in slow motion. ¡°You bit-!¡± But unfortunately, his curses were swallowed by the abyss as Luca disappeared into the darkness. ¡°EVVA!¡± Kazuya looked at her in disbelief. ¡°What, it''s not like it''s gonna kill him.¡± Evva shrugged his warnings off. ¡°See you on the other side, Sensei.¡± She waved at him, as she jumped into the void. She wasn¡¯t wrong. Dungeon backdoors weren¡¯t that different from the front gates. Whoever entered them will be deposited inside safely. Though, what they will encounter after was an entirely different matter. Leaving two interns alone in a dangerous situation would look bad on the report he would have to submit to the League. ¡®Sigh. Why did I have to babysit such troublesome kids.¡¯ Regretting his decisions, Kazuya stepped into the darkness. The Dungeon threw the trio into the middle of a tropical rainforest, a far cry from the ambience they left moments ago. After getting smacked by uncountable branches, Evva and Luca were ungraciously dropped on the muddy ground, filled with mosses and several types of fungi. Kazuya on the other hand, swerved the branches away with his parasol, before gracefully landing like a cat. ¡°How did you even manage that while wearing those awful sandals?¡± Evva complained as the two slowly got up on their feet. ¡°Wearing geta on a daily basis does wonders for your balance and posture. You should try it sometimes.¡± Kazuya advised. ¡°Come now, we have a Boss to find.¡± ¡°Rawr!¡± All three turned toward the direction where the feral roar came from. ¡°I guess we found it!¡± Luca exclaimed unexcitedly, still upset about how he was thrown here. Kazuya extended his perception in that direction. ¡°Looks like it''s fighting something.¡± ¡°The ones who fought that monster mob?¡± ¡°No. The Boss is fighting only one person, and he¡¯s barehanded. Those monsters were killed with a sword.¡± Kazuya silently observed the Aura emitting from the fight. The Boss aside, its opponent¡¯s mana didn¡¯t seem human either. Just like the reports made by the mercenaries. ¡°Keep your guards up. His companions might be here.¡± ''Rustle!'' A sound came from the leaves to their right. ¡®Hmm. I didn¡¯t sense anyone approaching us. How high is their experience with Fade to be able to get pass my senses?¡¯ Kazuya pointed his fan towards the bushes. ¡°Show yourself, you intruder.¡± The prowler slowly stepped out, his hands raised. ¡°You?¡± Chapter 24: Here Comes The Reinforcements When the Map notified me that some new humans had entered the ¡®Jurassic Park¡¯ Dungeon, I was ecstatic. Help couldn¡¯t have arrived at a better time. Well. it wasn¡¯t that strange either, considering the number of mercenaries and Heroes that had been chased out. It would have been weirder if the Hero League didn''t send someone to investigate. Since I couldn''t Appraise them through the Map, I decided to approach them with ''Fade'' on. I had chugged down a Mana Potion before, so my mana reservoirs were slowly being restored. As I sneaked behind the group, I noticed some pretty peculiar people. There was a cosplaying Asian man, and following behind him were two young adults, about Academy age. ¡®Appraisal¡¯
Name: Sakura Kazuya Rank: A+ Stats:
  • Strength 11.5
  • Stamina 12.4
  • Agility 12.2
  • Perception 12
  • Magic Power 13
  • Intelligence 6
  • Charm 8.1
Abilities:
  • Hand-to-Hand Combat(¡ï¡ï¡ï): Coordinates the body for easy movements and helps the user to use their body to fight more efficiently. Allows the user to easily learn basic martial art techniques. As mastery increases, it will allow the user to subconsciously dodge dangers. [Advanced Level]
Skills:
  • Petal Dance(A): Allows the user to manifest their mana in the form of cherry blossoms which can be manipulated by the user for different purposes. The amount of petals manifested is proportional to the user''s mana.
Potential Rank: S Suitable Class: Mage Mana Compatibility:
  • Air: 100%
  • Fire:100%
  • Darkness: 20%
Name: Luca Wagner Rank : C+ Stats:
  • Strength 7.1
  • Stamina 7.2
  • Agility 7.7
  • Perception 7.5
  • Magic Power 7.4
  • Intelligence 4.2
  • Charm 7
Abilities:
  • Skateboard Manoeuvre Art(¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï): Allows the user to defy the laws of physics as long as the mode of transportation is a skateboard. This Art allows the user to walk on walls, make inhuman jumps and even go against gravity. [Intermediate Level]
  • Hand-to-Hand Combat(¡ï¡ï¡ï): Coordinates the body for easy movements and helps the user to use their body to fight more efficiently. Allows the user to easily learn basic martial art techniques. As mastery increases, it will allow the user to subconsciously dodge dangers. [Intermediate Level]
Skills:
  • Puppeteer(B): The owner of the skill can use invisible elastic strings to manipulate the movements of people and objects that the owner has come into contact with. The strength of the strings depends on the user, and with enough training, these strings can be made as sharp as steel and used to attack directly.
Potential Rank: S Suitable Class: Assassin Mana Compatibility:
  • Air: 90%
  • Earth: 55%
  • Water: 75%
Name: Evva Pavlov Rank : B Stats:
  • Strength 7
  • Stamina 7.5
  • Agility 7.6
  • Perception 8.5
  • Magic Power 7.9
  • Intelligence 6.5
  • Charm 7
Abilities:
  • Hand-to-Hand Combat(¡ï¡ï¡ï): Coordinates the body for easy movements and helps the user to use their body to fight more efficiently. Allows the user to easily learn basic martial art techniques. As mastery increases, it will allow the user to subconsciously dodge dangers. [Intermediate Level]
Skills:
  • Foresight(B): Allows the user to see things that normal people are not able to see.
  • Bullet Master(A): As long as it uses a bullet, the user will be able to use it with ease. With enough training, it can even allow the user to change the trajectory of the bullet and imbue it with special properties, depending on the mana injected.
Potential Rank: S Suitable Class: Markswoman Mana Compatibility:
  • Air: 100%
  • Darkness: 60%
Now there were some names I recognised. Though I don¡¯t remember if any of them had been introduced in the novel, each of these people had a considerable amount of influence in the current world. Kazuya was one of the top A Rankers on the Human Continent, at the moment. Not to mention, he was the brother-in-law of Misa¡¯s older brother. The two Heroes accompanying him were someone I remembered hearing about at the Academy. The Strongest Male and Female Third-Years at the Star Academy. ¡®But looking at their status it seems that Evva is slightly stronger than Luca.¡¯ Well, anyway, it seems like I got some pretty great assistance. Kazuya was stronger than Nyra, so I can leave her to him. Max was occupied by Rexy, the T-Rex, so that leaves us with the Elf Assassins. I don¡¯t know how strong they were, so I can only hope that the three of us can fend them off. I deactivated ¡®Fade¡¯ and slowly walked toward the group. ¡°Show yourself, you intruder.¡± Kazuya yelled in my direction, the moment the Skill¡¯s effects wore off. I put my hands up, the show I bore no harm, and slowly walked out of hiding. ¡°You?¡± A look of confusion flashed across his eyes. It seems like he recognised me even without an introduction. ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you here Sir Kazuya.¡± I greeted him. ¡°I see it''s you, Mr. Laxon. May I ask what you are doing here?¡± ¡°Oh, I just came to this Dungeon for training since I was getting bored at home. Little did I know that the League was taking such poor care of the Dungeons that were open to the general public.¡± ¡°May I ask what you are referring to, Mr. Laxon?¡± ''Hmm. Guess, the League doesn''t know that Elves and Beastmen have entered The Human Continent. Well, that makes sense. They probably think all the trouble must be caused by some greedy Awakened, who wanted to hog the Dungeon Rewards for themselves, or maybe some weak-fry Fallen had entered here.'' Since the students were unaffiliated with the League, I decided to send the message cryptically. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°What else will I be talking about? I meant our northern neighbours.¡± Since the Fae Forest was located to the north of the Human Continent, it was easy for Kazuya to understand what I meant. As soon as he understood the meaning behind my words, his face paled. "You can''t possibly mean..." "Oh, I meant exactly that.", I confirmed his fears. "The League sent you here to find out the terrorists in this Dungeon, didn''t they?" "That is what we are here for, but...are you 100% sure it''s them?" "I am!" I answered with full confidence. ¡°If what you said is indeed true, and the problem has escalated to such a dangerous level, I promise you the League will do everything in its power to resolve the issue.¡± Despite his reassurance, I could see the worry in his eyes. He must be preparing himself for the worst-case scenario. ¡°How? Your party here consists of one Hero and two¡­ interns?¡± I asked him nonchalantly, glancing at his party. ¡°Well, since we know what we are up against now, we will dispatch proper units to take care of it.¡± By that, he probably meant sending higher Ranking Heroes and catching the intruders red-handed. The hostages would then be used to negotiate with the Woodland Races. But I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what the end result would be. I doubt the Elves and Beastmen would be stupid enough to send someone who can be caught so easily. Not to mention, the two Beastmen I had encountered. Kazuya¡¯s Rank may be higher but I had seen their Stats, and it still worried me quite a lot. Not to mention, I needed Kazuya''s help to get my Spirit back. If the League sent someone else, any chance I have of getting Deus back will be gone. "Sir Kazuya, we both know that these intruders will disappear much before the League can take appropriate action, so my advice will be to take action while we are still in the Dungeon." I explained to him. "And does this plan include you too, Mr. Laxon?" "Of course. I have shadowing them for a while now, and I am positive that I can be of great assistance to you." I offered him. "And won¡¯t it also be in your best interest to keep an eye on me?" ¡®Let me help you, and in return, I will keep the League¡¯s blunder a secret.¡¯ was what I actually meant. Right now, Kazuya can say that he will take care of the problem alone and ask me to leave. But I needed to stick close to him, no matter what. Thankfully, my veiled warning was understood. ¡°Fine, you can help us.¡± Kazuya finally agreed, after giving it a thought. I am sure he had doubts about my ulterior motives, but it''s not like he had much of a choice, considering he also needed to resolve this issue as soon as possible, before it turns into a much bigger scandal than the League could contain. ¡°What about the two behind you?¡± I asked him. ¡°Their parents work in the League, so they have heavy mouths.¡± Kazuya replied. The two interns, who were listening in on our conservation, snapped back into attention when they were mentioned. The girl had cold sweat running down her forehead, as she understood who the intruders were and what a dangerous secret they had just heard about. The boy, meanwhile, just looked at us with confusing eyes. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good, considering we will be needing their help.¡± ¡°Help?¡± Kazuya asked me. ¡°Yes! I have been following them for some time. It seems that the two Beastmen are both B+ Ranks¡± I informed him. ¡°Beastmen? What are you talking about?¡± Luca butted in, still oblivious to what was going on. Beside him, Evva quickly hushed him, whispering the situation to her fellow student. After hearing it, his eyes shot wide open and he went "What?" before shut his mouth again. ¡°Now then, I think we should start moving out. This forest has quite some dangerous monsters roaming around.¡± I ignored the two and turned back to Kazuya. I took the three of them back to the cave so that we could discuss a plan. Evva and Luca who were still visibly shaken from the information I had just disclosed, kept silent. Kazuya and I were the only ones to talk. ¡°There are three Elves and two Beastmen that have settled about 5 kilometres east of our location. But last I saw, one of the Beastmen was fighting it out with the Boss in the region.¡± ¡°How do you have such detailed reports of their actions?¡± Kazuya asked me, as I reported my findings to him. ¡°I used ¡®Fade¡¯ to sneak on them.¡± I replied to him. Under normal circumstances, I would have kept this a secret, but right now Kazuya didn¡¯t place any trust in me, so if revealing this information would show that I am willing to cooperate, he will return in kind. Anyway, me knowing Fade was a much easier explanation and would remove suspicion from my true skill, ''Appraisal''. ¡°Wow, I never knew you had that skill with you. Not to mention I always thought you were an introvert, so seeing you in action like this feels strange.¡± ¡°I just never acted before because I was cooped up in my lab.¡± I gave him a valid excuse. It had been a fortunate thing for me that Ray had been doing research for the past few years, instead of furthering his relationships with others. This was the main reason why when I first possessed Ray¡¯s body, nobody found my new behaviour to be strange, since they didn¡¯t know much about Ray in the first place. ¡°Hmm. Time will tell if that is indeed the case.¡± Kazuya gave me a slight smile. ¡®Haa! Look at this guy. Just because I was a little aggressive before, he is subtly implying that the Laxon family is under careful watch.¡¯ I decided to ignore his taunt since I needed his help and enmity wouldn''t be of any help to either of us. Though the fact that he mentioned it at all means he knows I am not the one working with the Fallen. ''I wonder when my investigation happened!'' ¡°Going back to my plan, currently their party has one less Beastman, so it would be ideal to hit them now. If we can capture even one of them, it would be helpful to the League when the demands proceed with the Fae Forest.¡± ¡°I agree that getting some evidence would be helpful. But Mr. Laxon, since you''ve been observing them, do you happen to know why they would illegally enter human land just to enter this random Dungeon in the middle of nowhere?.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, your guess is as good as mine.¡± I replied, lying shamelessly. Since Kazuya was part of the League, he might already be aware of Spirits. No reason to make him realise that there might be one here, and have the Egg end up in the League''s hands. ¡°Well, irrespective of their objective, they still broke the Treaty and entered the Human Continent. So, what will be our first course of action?¡± ¡°I believe we should divide ourselves into two groups. The group with you, Sir Kazuya, will head to where the Elves and Beastman group is. The other should go to the lone Beastman. He will be gravely injured after his fight, so even a weaker team will be okay to survey him. If he begins to head back, they can warn the other party.¡± ¡°All right, so teams will be divided as Luca and I. Mr. Laxon and Evva.¡± Kazuya quickly split us up. ¡°What? Why am I with Evva?¡± The girl was clearly the smarter of the two. I was hoping to be with the boy so that I could take the monster Rewards for myself. ¡°Because she is the second strongest one among us. Did you honestly think I will send two C+ Ranks together?¡± Although the logic was valid, it didn''t really sit right with me. ¡°But I am a teacher!¡± I mumbled under my breath. ¡°Aren¡¯t you embarrassed to point that out?¡± This quickly shut my mouth. ¡®Damn these Heroes and their superhuman hearing.¡¯ After a quick discussion, the two teams split up to go to their respective destinations. I told him about the general location of Nyra and the Elves, after a quick glance at the Map. Then, Evva and I began to walk toward the clearing where Max and the T-Rex were fighting. It was pretty obvious where the battlefield was, considering the two of them were releasing huge amounts of mana. By the time we reached the site, the fight was already over. We must have narrowly missed the Lion''s departure. The huge dinosaur lay fallen on the pressed grass. Two of its limbs had been ripped off, nowhere to be seen. A huge hole had been punched in the centre of its chest, its organs spilling out. ¡°What kind of monster do you have to be to punch a B Rank monster to death?¡± Evva looked at the body in shock. I agreed with her comment. When the Appraisal informed me that Beastmen Martial Arts can decimate mountains with a finger, I was awestruck. But seeing the result of the strength first-hand was a whole different level of shock. If it can do this in the hands of a B+ Ranker, imagine how terrifying it will be with the strength of S or SS Rankers. As I analysed the corpse with Appraisal, I got various notifications about all of the Boss¡¯ body parts and how useful each of them can be in potions. It seems my Appraisal Skill was slowly absorbing my knowledge in potions and fusing with it to provide me with different kinds of information. I should test this hypothesis with other research fields when I go back to Capital City. After finishing my analysis, I got down on my knees in front of Rexy¡¯s head and took out the short sword I had borrowed from Kazuya before we parted ways. I pointed the hilt at its teeth and¡­ ¡®Bang!¡¯ One of the monster''s teeth fell out. I picked up the 12-inch long fang and pointed it at Evva. ¡°I am sure museums and collectors would love to get their hands on this. It''s not every day you find a Dinosaur Boss Monster.¡± ¡°Museums? Think what weapon manufacturers to get their hands on it. Since this is material from a B Rank monster, it can be used to make some pretty strong weapons.¡± I stared at Evva. Evva stared back. ¡®Blink! Blink!¡¯ ¡°Wait, are you planning on stealing monster material that you didn¡¯t hunt yourself? That goes against The Hero League¡¯s policies.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t hunted by humans, so I don¡¯t think it counts.¡± I pointed out the loophole. ¡°Plus, I am pretty sure the Beastman who hunted him got what he needed, considering we don¡¯t see any Skill Beads or the monster core around.¡± Convinced by my arguments, Evva didn¡¯t try to stop as I touched my ring to the corpse, transferring it to the extra-dimensional space. Soon we were back on our way. A few minutes later I stopped. I looked back at the woman fidgeting behind me. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Um, I was wondering if I could get some of the monster materials later?¡± she asked, avoiding my eyes. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one going about Hero League policies?¡± I pointed out with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who convinced me that this falls under a grey area?¡± She retorted. ¡°Anyway, it would be a waste to pass on B Rank Monster materials.¡± Looking at her shamelessness, I sighed. ¡°I will send some over later. In return, don¡¯t say anything to Kazuya later.¡± Since she knew I already took the Monster materials, it would be best to give her some and bribe her silence. "Not a word to Luca either." ¡°Deal!¡± Thus we shook hands on the promise and went back to our mission of finding the injured Beastman. Chapter 25: Illusions or Puppets ¡°This has been eating at me for a while, so can I ask you a question?¡± Evva spoke up as we made our way to a nearby river. The Map pinpointed Max to be along its banks, so I decided to move in that direction. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Why do you keep staring off at space?¡± She asked casually. I froze up, like a criminal caught red-handed. Since I was usually alone or with Deus, I completely forgot how weird it would look to normal people when I checked out my Map. But I quickly pulled myself together, before Evva could notice something. ¡°I was just trying to sense the monsters surrounding us.¡± I lied to her with a straight face. ¡°Oh! You don¡¯t need to be so on guard. Marksmen have very high Perception Stats, and I can assure you there is not a single monster within a kilometre radius of us. They must have run away due to the smell of blood from the Boss monster.¡± she remarked. ¡°We still need to be careful. The Beastman who ran away might be near.¡± I warned her off. I was telling her the truth since the Map showed that Max wasn¡¯t too far away from us. He seems to be cleaning himself off at a nearby river. ¡°Hey, Evva, since your Perception must be sharper than mine, can you check if there is a river or something similar nearby?¡± I innocently directed her to Max''s location. ¡°Ah, a river! That makes sense. After having such a brutal fight, a clean source of water should be the first thing he would try to find.¡± she closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. ¡°I can hear the sound of water flowing in that direction.¡± She pointed roughly in that direction. ¡°Let¡¯s go and check if he is there.¡± I could hear a hint of caution in her voice now. Now that we were going to a clear destination, instead of wandering aimlessly, she had her senses on high alert. The two of us increased our pace as we headed toward the river. After about fifteen minutes of running, we finally reached the banks. The river was quite wide, spanning several kilometres, lined with dangerously steep boulders. ¡°Now where do we go? Upstream or downstream?¡± Eva asked. I pointed a finger up at the sky. ¡°Of course, we head downstream.¡± ¡°How does the sky indicate that the Beastman is downstream?¡± ¡°Look at the birds. Don¡¯t they look like they are flying away from something?¡± I pointed out to a flock of birds that were heading away from the river. ¡°The animals here are quite sensitive to Auras, of humans and monsters alike. They would definitely try to avoid encounters with Awakened Beings, so that¡¯s why you just need to find the direction where it seems like birds are flying away from.¡± ¡°Wow! Where did you learn that from?¡± she asked with an eyebrow raised. ¡°Documentaries.¡± I answered as I began to head down. When I had just entered this world, I had read about many monster behaviours as well as watched documentaries on how animals behave around Awakened Beings. Even if I didn''t already know his location, I would have still headed downstream. It was quite surprising, how much you can understand about an area by monitoring the behaviour of nearby animal life. As we were beginning to head down, suddenly goose bumps erupted on my neck. Sensing the intense bloodlust, Evva quickly grabbed my shoulders, and we both plunged into the river beside us. The two of us were violently dragged away by the freezing currents, but not before I saw black rose petals floating in the air, at the spot where Evva and I had been standing moments earlier.
¡°Is it just me or is this place really quiet?¡± Luca¡¯s voice rang out in the eerily tranquil forest. There was no buzzing of insects, no chirping of birds, nor the silent prowling of predators. Even Kazuya was alert. No matter how wary the ordinary animals were of Awakened Beings, this was way too abnormal for a Dungeon. ¡°Stay sharp! I think the Elves are up to something.¡± Kazuya warned his mentee, as he took his hand fan out of his sleeve. Luca too raised his skateboard like a shield, taking a defensive stance. Green mana coated the tip of Kazuya¡¯s fan, enveloping their surroundings and scanning for any irregularities. Immediately after that, Kazuya swiped his fan to their right, generating a strong burst of wind. ¡®Whoosh!¡¯ Luca expected the surrounding trees to get uprooted, but unexpectedly, the scenery in front of them began to distort, like a mirage in the desert. The towering trees, that had previously surrounded them, vanished into thin air, leaving the two of them standing in the centre of a large clearing. Two Elves, one male and one female, wearing dark assassin outfits were standing in front of them, with their daggers pointed towards them. Their skin was dark as the night, but their eyes and hair glowed an incandescent white like a full moon exuding its beautiful shine. A crescent moon symbol on their forehead flaunting their celestial of worship. Moonlit Elves! ¡°Wow! I didn¡¯t even realise that we were trapped inside an illusion!¡± Luca exclaimed in surprise, as he realised what had just happened. At the start of the third year, students of Star Academy were given a brief introduction to the other races that humans share their planet with. One of the topics that were discussed was the ¡®Illusionary Powers of Moonlit Elves¡¯. At that time, Luca had disregarded their skills as minor parlour tricks, but boy was he wrong. Enveloping an entire landscape with illusion magic, required not only fine control of one¡¯s own mana but also skills in controlling the natural mana of the surroundings. Among humans, only a few Heroes could control natural mana, and all of them were at least A+ Rank. Yet the Elves who were standing in front seemed no stronger than C+ Ranks. ¡°It took longer than we thought for an A+ Rank like you to notice our illusion. We must have overestimated the humans.¡± the female sneered, clearly looking down on them. ¡°I think you are a bit mistaken. I was merely observing the pursuers on our tail.¡± Kazuya calmly responded to their taunt. ¡°And if you were trying to hide your presence, you really shouldn¡¯t have cleared away all the monsters in this area. You were simply begging me to find you guys.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Hoo. Guess you aren¡¯t as big a quack as we thought.¡± the male elf smiled at Kazuya''s response. ¡°On a side note, may I ask you folks where the rest of your party is? I was informed about it earlier, and I believe you are short of one Elf and a Beastman.¡± Kazuya asked leisurely. ¡°Informed?¡± Suddenly, the female Elf¡¯s voice became wary. ¡°Are you with that guy?¡± ¡°That guy?¡± ¡°That blue-haired human!¡± Her voice was getting louder. ¡°Ah, you mean Sir Ray? Yes, we are acquaintances with him.¡± Kazuya politely responded. Noting her sudden change in tone, it seems that Ray had done something to incur the wrath of these woodland dwellers. ¡°So you are!¡± The female elf, her eyes now radiating blatant hostility. If before she was looking down on them like insects, now she seemed to at least acknowledge them. ¡°Your friend had given us quite a lot of trouble with those repulsive tricks of his.¡± Kazuya looked at her strangely. ¡®Ray made trouble for them? Wasn''t he just shadowing them?¡¯ It was hard for him to believe, considering how much weaker Ray was than the opposing party, not to mention, outnumbered. But the bloodlust emanating from the Elves, when he had mentioned Ray¡¯s name, was not to scoff at. ¡®This is problematic. I better go find Ray and Evva before something irreversible happens.¡¯ If something indeed happens, the diplomatic issues concerning this problem would escalate drastically from just trespassing to murder. The worst-case scenario would be that the two races would go to war against each other. ¡°Luca, I think we need to head back.¡± Luca, understanding how grave the current situation was, nodded in agreement. As he was about to take a step back, out of nowhere, a dagger embedded itself into the earth, inches away from where he stood. ¡°Don¡¯t even dare.¡± The female warned them, one of her hands now weapon less. Kazuya let out a heavy sigh. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on letting this escalate to a bigger problem, but it seems we don¡¯t share the same thoughts.¡± ¡°This wouldn¡¯t have happened if your associate didn¡¯t provoke us so recklessly.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t speak for him, considering we are no better than strangers. Though I will be more than happy to send my mentee here to rebuke him for you.¡± Kazuya turned towards his mentee, signalling him to leave. Luca quickly got on his skateboard, fleeing the scene. Luca''s life had always been full of ups and downs. In his first year at the Academy, many had called him ¡®rebellious¡¯ and ¡®juvenile¡¯ for using something as vulgar as a skateboard in the prestigious Star Academy, where about 80% of the student population came from wealthy backgrounds, some of them being the heirs of highly influential Guilds. They were spoiled brats who expected the world to revolve around them and wanted everything around them to be up to their standards. Consequently, these were also the guys who believed that riding a skateboard was something that only plebeians did. That''s why on his first day, Luca took that same skateboard they looked down upon and beat them back and blue, regardless of their connections. Ever since that event, an entire faction was born under Luca, which gained even more power within the Academy, when Luca became one of the top students in his grade. And when Luca received his Skateboard Manoeuvre Art, his passion for skateboarding only grew stronger, and soon after, he was considered one of the fastest students Star Academy has ever had since its founding. As Luca rolled his skateboard, a thin line of green mana sparkled on his wheels, reinforcing his momentum. But despite his great swiftness, an arrow accelerated forward, jamming itself into the tree, Luca had just passed. Luca scurried between the trees, to evade his pursuer. The hunter wasn''t the two Elves, since he knew Kazuya wouldn''t let them go after him, so it must be one of the Elves'' missing comrades. Luca extended his senses to gauge the power of his opponent, but weirdly he couldn¡¯t sense the presence of anyone behind him. Whoever it was, must be someone very skilled to be able to hide his presence so well, even when someone was actively searching for them. Deciding against shaking him off, instead, Luca took to the trees. He activated his Art. Instantly, his mana spread out from his body and coated his skateboard. His Art was unique in the fact that as long his skateboard was used as a medium, he could impart different properties to his mana, as long as he knew how the property worked. The property he activated at this moment was Adhesion. He had to comb through several scientific books to understand how this property worked as well had spent countless hours using the knowledge to further his understanding of his Art. The fruits of his training were invaluable, giving him the ability to scale any obstacle like a gecko. He started to cruise his skateboard on the large trunk of a nearby tree, quickly reaching the top of the forest cover, where the enemy was. Finding his foe in front of him, the Elf came to a stop. This was the first time Luca was seeing his pursuer properly. It was a male Moon Elf, dressed quite similarly to the ones from before. But there was a clear distinction between the two. Even with the Elf standing from him, it was hard for Luca to feel any kind of presence from him. The lack of unnecessary movements and the serenity of his presence was on another level. As a fellow Assassin, Luca held great admiration for such finely-refined stealth skills. But right now this Assassin was out for him, and he had to prevent that at all costs. As the two assessed each other, silence descended around them. ¡®Woosh!¡¯ An arrowhead jammed itself into the Skateboard, plummeting it to the ground. Luca was left standing on the branch, unarmed. The elf nocked another arrow on his bow, now aiming it straight between Luca¡¯s eyes. Luca locked eyes with him, refusing to lose sight of his attacker. But oblivious to the other party, wheels were turning behind the scene. An arrow appeared out of nowhere, grazing the Elf''s cheek. He sent his arrow flying in surprise, but instead of landing on its target, the arrow bounced off the skateboard that had mysteriously returned to its owner. ¡°How?¡± The Elf looked at the pink-haired boy in surprise, but instead of a response, all he was greeted with was his arrow, travelling at speeds that were enough to slice down trees. The Elf jumped away to get out of the arrow¡¯s trajectory, but the arrow simply corrected its path, following its owner like a dog returning home. After a short while, the Elf was seriously ticked off and lost his cool. He summoned his mana and blasted the arrow to smithereens. ¡°Aww. The show was just getting started.¡± Luca lightly laughed at his opponent. ¡°Enough!¡± The Elf roared in fury. ¡°You humans do love those parlour tricks of yours, don¡¯t you?¡± This remark got on Luca¡¯s nerves. He had spent countless hours polishing his mastery over his internal mana, to pull that stunt off. The Elf leaped toward him, a dagger in his hand. Right before the blade could pierce his heart, Luca pushed against the Elf¡¯s body and leaped backward to another tree. The Elf continued forward, ready to finish what he was out to do, but the pieces were already in place. Luca sneered at him, as the Elf froze mid-jump, like a marionette without a master. Puppeteer. That was the one and only Skill Luca had received when he had Awakened on his seventeenth birthday. Finding out that it was a B Rank Skill, he had been quite disappointed. But only for a short while. Pretty soon, he found that the Skill was much better than he had previously thought, giving him the power to control anything, even humans, like a puppet master using strings to control every single action of his marionettes. Of course, the skill had its own weaknesses, such as the condition to attach the Puppeteer¡¯s strings was to make physical contact with the target. Not to mention, the strings were very weak and would take little mana to be cut off. Still, the skill was virtually unbeatable if you didn''t understand the principle behind the attack. That''s why except for himself, nobody knew that his true Skill was Puppeteer. Everyone thought it was a form of Telekinesis, making them lower their guard and after that, it was all too easy for him to stick his mana strings on his opponents. Luca slowly approached the now-defenceless Elf, still oblivious to what had happened to him. He flashed him a playful smile, ¡°Now be a good little boy and wait for daddy to come home.¡± The Elf¡¯s eyes narrowed on him. ¡°You better hope you don¡¯t encounter me when the moon is out, human. I won¡¯t show you any mercy.¡± ¡°Wow, you are quite forward. Sure, let¡¯s set up a date night.¡± Saying that Luca hopped onto his skateboard and then drove away, to find Evva and Ray. Chapter 26: The Deadliest Flower Blooms It was a little more than 7 decades ago when the Elven civilization had to leave their planet ¡®Evergarden¡¯ due to the war with the demons engulfing their entire world. Facing such humiliation, the entire race was forced to relocate to a faraway planet. When the infant Amara escaped her war-stricken planet, she swore that one day she would return to the frontlines and fight for her home. She trained for many years, and was finally able to join The Grey Owls, the knight order of Moonlit Elves, as its youngest member ever. Her dream was to climb up the ranks in the order and then make a request to be drafted back to Evergarden. For that dream, she had committed all her missions flawlessly. But seeing the monster in front of her, that flawless record of her seemed to be the least of her worries. A frighteningly strong Aura was slowly pressuring down on her. The temperature of their surroundings had risen by at least a hundred degrees, and perspiration clung to her chin, afraid to fall off lest it gets evaporated by the fierce heat. The human, who was wearing strangely loose clothing and wooden sandals, had just moments ago seemed like a joke of an A-rank. But now, he exuded such raw terror, like a volcano ready to explode and those nearby were merely awaiting their fate. Amara and her companion Elmar could do little than just shiver in their spots. ¡°Oh my! Did my Aura scare you?¡± The human slowly moved towards them, a crescent smile curved up his oval-shaped face. ¡°I had children with me before, so I was trying not to scare them.¡± With the cheerful smile plastered on his face, he looked like a wolf cutely looking at the sheep who innocently came to be eaten. He gently raised his hand towards her chin and stared deeply into her eyes. An average passer-by would have mistaken it as an act of romance, but her mana-sensitive eyes did not miss the intent behind the action. The human had placed a fire spell on her, likely an explosive one, that could be detonated whenever he wished. ¡°Be here when I return, or else¡­¡± Whispering the threat, he vanished from the spot. As the intense Aura disappeared, the strength in their knees vanished as well, and the two fell to the ground. ¡°Wheeze-Wheeze!¡± Elmar hyperventilated beside her. Her hand immediately went to her forehead. An invisible seal was placed on it, but she could still sense the vast amounts of fire mana compressed in that tiny space. Looks like she had been taken hostage now. ¡°Haa. It¡¯s over. If the League takes me now, I will never be able to go back to the Forest." If Lady Nyra or Lord Max had been caught, they could have returned safely, since they both come from influential families among the Forest Folks. But nobody would care about Elmar and her, since they were merely orphaned soldiers. Disposable pawns for the bigger game. Her dream to go back to Evergarden is over now. ¡®Let¡¯s just hope Lady Nyra doesn¡¯t have to face that monster.¡¯ Ever since she was young, the older warrior Elves who had encountered humans, always recounted how pathetically weak they were, and could be defeated by even Unawakened Elves. But, those idiots were so wrong. Humans had gotten strong. Frighteningly fast. The only thing left was to pray to the Lunar Mother for safety in the near future.
¡°Glug! Glug!¡± Evva and I desperately fought, as the river took us further away from the attacker. Unfortunately, since the river was a part of the Dungeon, it didn¡¯t have any plans to go easy on the two. Every single current of the river was out to drown them, and it took all my strength just to stay afloat. I don¡¯t clearly remember when it happened, but it looks like at one point I lost consciousness, and the next thing I knew I was waking up in a swamp. I slowly pushed against the muddy ground to sit in an upright position. Beside me, Evva had also passed out, so I lightly shook her awake. ¡°Where are we?¡± she asked groggily, still disorientated from her bout with the river currents. ¡°No idea.¡± The river had dragged us out of the radius I had scanned with Appraisal. ¡®Appraisal Map!¡¯ But something unexpected happened. Usually, when I activated my Skill, a burst of mana would escape my body and spread all over the terrain like dandelion seeds in the wind, analysing the area before returning to me and processing the information into a virtual map. But this time, something was stopping my mana from leaving my body. ¡®Appraisal!¡¯ Since whatever it was was just preventing mana from leaving my body, I decided to use Appraisal as this Skill only required me to focus my mana on my eyes.
Skill ¡®Spirit Field¡¯ in Effect! Spirit Field(A): Impose a Magical Law on a particular region, to be obeyed by anyone in its territory.
Magical Law in Effect: "In the balance of yin and yang lies the power to create, to transform, and to achieve true harmony."
¡®Yin and Yang? Was there something like that in the novel?¡¯ ¡°Professor, we should be careful here.¡± Beside me, Evva was already on high alert, with her gun ready in her hand. ¡°But are there places where mana doesn''t work, Professor?¡± She asked, quickly noticing her inability to use mana. ¡°Rather than not working, it¡¯s more like this place is treating us like foreign objects, and suppressing us. We should be careful how we proceed here.¡± Although I didn''t remember a Mana Suppression field, I did remember Spirit Fields from the novel. They were one of the ultimate Skills that Spiritualists could use, but as far as I remember, the Spirit had to be of a pretty high Rank to set the Field up. ¡®Maybe the presence of so many high Ranking Awakened near it forced the Spirit to set it up for defence.¡¯ But this was troublesome. With the Spirit Field in effect, my Appraisal Map Skill was being suppressed. ¡®Will I have to search the entire swamp to find the Spirit Egg?¡¯ As I was agonising over how to find the Spirit, Evva and I first decided to get out of the cold water. Overlooking the swamp was a forest. But whereas the forest we were previously in gave the feeling of a tropical rainforest, this one seemed more gloomy like a haunted jungle. We slowly pushed through the shallow water and tried to find our way to a more solid and dry foundation. As we transversed across the boggy swamp, Evva tapped on my shoulder, pointing to a tall hill near us. At first, I didn¡¯t realise what the problem was, but when I looked at the pile closely, I realised what Evva was pointing at. What I had previously overlooked as a sludge pile was actually a pile of bones and semi-decomposed monster corpses. I moved a bit closer to check the mountain. The first thing that came into my view was a human skull. Worms were wriggling inside of the sockets, exploring the space they were occupying. Beside me, Evva made a gagging reflex. ¡°I think this must be the T-Rex¡¯s dumping ground. Whatever he threw in the river must have floated down and ended up in this swamp.¡± I commented. ¡°Eww. Let¡¯s get away from here.¡± Evva pinched her nose to block the stink of rotting meat. ¡°I agree- ¡± But unfortunately my wish didn¡¯t come true. A screen floated in front of me, containing the most spine-chilling words I have ever read.
ALERT: Taijitu Spirit Egg Rank: E Potential: ??? Status: Unawakened Location: At the bottom of Rexy¡¯s trash pile. Inject your mana to awaken the Spirit.
Reading the notification screen, my knees buckled and I sunk into the water. Evva quickly came to my aid. ¡°Oh my god, what happened?¡± I weakly looked up at her. ¡°If I ask you to help me dig this, you won¡¯t get mad, would you?¡± ¡°When you say ¡®this¡¯, you don¡¯t mean¡­¡± She hesitantly asked me. I weakly nodded at her. When I say that the look she gave me made me fear for my life, it sure did. I could see her finger twitching on her gun¡¯s trigger. Finally, an eternity later, she sighed. ¡°Why do you wanna dig this, uh- pile? I doubt it''s to hunt for monster material?¡± ¡°Well, when I was spying on the Beastman, they were talking about looking for a particular item, but they weren¡¯t able to find it. I am pretty sure if it¡¯s an Artifact important enough for Beastman to come into human territory for, then it must be with the Boss of the Dungeon, right?¡± ¡°What if they already found the Artifact they were looking for on that T-Rex monster?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see the T-Rex carrying anything, so I am pretty sure they are still looking for an item. And if you think about it, no matter how strong an Artifact is, a monster will never keep it with him since they can¡¯t use items in the first place. That means the most likely location of the Artifact will be¡­¡± ¡°The Boss¡¯ trash, where we are at.¡±Evva reluctantly finished my sentence. ¡°Ah, I know. Why don¡¯t we just put all the trash into our dimensional space? We won¡¯t have to dig then, right?¡± Her eyes brightened as she presented a brilliant solution. ¡°Uh, unfortunately since the dimensional rings operate with mana, we can¡¯t use them.¡± I crushed her dreams like a hammer on glass. This time Evva sank into the water in despair. I helped her up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Take joy in the fact that you are not alone.¡± And thus began our not-so-glamorous job. The trash pile had so many unimaginative things inside, that I had doubts about whether I had transmigrated into a horror genre. ¡°I swear if whatever that thing is, turns out to be in the possession of some other Boss monster, then I am going to shoot you in between your legs.¡± Evva thundered in fury, as she scooped up half-rotten intestines with her hands. I did not doubt that she would actually go through with the threat if nothing was found. Thankfully for me, the Appraisal reassured me that the Spirit Egg was there, by popping up the ¡®Alert¡¯ notification screen whenever such threats were made. After two hours of gruelling work, and being covered in rotten meat and blood, we finally reached the bottom. As we scooped out the final layer of¡­ Man, I wasn¡¯t even sure what part of the body it was, the rot had spread so badly. Well, anyway, finally presenting itself was a huge egg, the size of a bowling ball. The top half was black, while the bottom half was white, giving it a yin-yang symbol kind of appearance. ¡°Good for you, Professor! Something really was at the bottom of that pile of trash.¡± Evva leaned her face close to the Spirit Egg. ¡°By the way, what is this?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± I lied to her without batting an eye.
Warning: Skill ¡®Spirit Field¡¯ is currently in effect! Provide reassurance to the Spirit to break the Skill. The most optimal way will be for the Egg to come into contact with a fellow Spirit.
A notification screen popped up in front of me. ¡®Hmm. Guess bringing Deus to it will be the best way for the Spirit Egg to lower its defences.¡¯ Not that it changed much. I was already planning on rescuing Deus. ¡°Is this some kind of Chinese Artifact? I think I saw something like this in some Chinese dramas on the internet. What was it called? ¡®In Young¡¯?¡± ¡°I think you meant Yin Yang. Yeah, it was a Chinese concept about how every counter-force is opposed in the natural world to maintain balance and harmony. Kind of like the philosophical version of Newton¡¯s third law.¡± ¡°So, it is Chinese!¡± she exclaimed, proud that she got her facts correct. ¡°Why don¡¯t we have it examined later at the League? Right now, I really feel like taking a shower.¡± ¡°The feeling¡¯s mutual. Now that we found whatever that is, let¡¯s get out. I can¡¯t stay a second longer in this trash heap.¡± Evva jumped away from the sludge area and began to walk away. I gently picked up the Spirit Egg and began to follow her. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Since mana in the area still wasn¡¯t working, I couldn¡¯t get access to my dimensional ring. Eventually, I had to carry the Egg in my arms. Since the current in the water channel was gentle, Evva and I were moving downstream to find a connecting less-muddy river. Eventually, after an hour-long hike, we could faintly hear the sound of running water. Hope burned in Evva and my eyes, as we began to run toward the source of the sound. As we reached the river, I was about to jump into the clean water. But before I could fulfill my small wish, Evva pulled me back into the mud. She gestured to me to keep quiet. Not understanding what the problem was, I peeked my head out, before immediately hiding it again. Walking a small distance away, were Nyra and Max.
A Few Hours Ago... Nyra just stared, as the two humans were swept away by the currents. Turning her back toward the river, she then faced Max, who was walking out from the forest. There were various claw and bite wounds on his body, sustained during his fight with the Boss monster. In his arms were two Skill Beads, received from the Boss, as well as a monster core. They had been wrapped up in another cocoon to make it easier to carry them. Monster cores were usually fist-sized, icosahedron-shaped gems with their colour being based on the rainbow spectrum, the weakest E Rank core being of Red colour while the strongest SS Rank core being Purple. Since the core was obtained from a B Rank Boss, it was sparkling green in colour. Behind Max, his tail swaying, with the Spirit¡¯s cocoon curled up inside. ¡°Did you not find the Spirit Egg when you killed the monster?¡± Nyra asked him. ¡°Nope, I only got Skill Beads and the monster core inside its body.¡± Max replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think this Boss even had one.¡± ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go kill that insolent human first and then we go back to searching for the Egg.¡± Suddenly, a small white bird swiftly perched on her shoulder. It snuggled against her cheeks before melting into her body. The bird was a form of communication used by the dwellers of Fae Forest by shaping their mana into a small creature, who would then take a message to the recipient. The most advantageous aspect of it was that the messenger can carry intangible things such as memories of the sender, and it didn¡¯t have the threat of being intercepted either. As the bird¡¯s mana was absorbed, memories started to appear in her mind of the Elves¡¯ encounter. ¡°Hmm. It seems like the Elves were taken out by some humans, who are with that blue-haired human.¡± ¡°The Elves got defeated?¡± ¡°Yeah! Apparently, one of the humans was an A+ Rank.¡± ¡°Hmm. A+ Rank? That might be a bit troublesome even for the two of us.¡± ¡°There is also the possibility that the two of them could be from the League. We better wrap up everything here and go back.¡± ¡°But we better kill that human first. I want to pay him back for how he pushed the Boss onto us. Not to mention, capturing this Spirit would be useless without him dead.¡± Max pointed at the hostage in his tail. ¡°Alright. But let¡¯s tell the Elves to leave. The two of us will be enough to take care of him.¡± A single blue butterfly fluttered out of her palm, flying away to its destination. Once the message was sent, the two decided to split. Nyra scouted from the skies, while Max began to search the banks of the river for any signs. A short while later, a blue butterfly appeared next to Max, carrying the coordinates of a particular location. When Max reached the destination, Nyra was already waiting. But as he approached her, a huge pressure sank onto his body. He could feel his mana getting blocked by the atmosphere. ¡°Are we inside a Spirit Field?¡± He asked in surprise ¡°We are!¡± Nyra smiled at the discovery. ¡°Looks like we are going to get our hands on two Spirits.¡± In the Elven culture, when one reaches the age of 50 years old, the Elf would choose their object of faith. The object of faith is independent of one¡¯s lineage and depends wholly on the individual¡¯s wishes. Depending on who they choose, the Elf¡¯s powers will vary greatly. The Sun gives the Suntouched Elves the power of enhanced strength and senses, along with healing. The Moon gives the Moonlit Elves the power to cast illusions, shape-shift, and telekinesis. But the Stars. They are considered to be the most powerful of them all. They don¡¯t give their worshipers enhanced strength to fight or use illusions to hide, but instead, the Stargazing Elves were given the power to look into and beyond space and time. They say the Stars listen to all, and the Stargazing Elves listen to the stars. Nigh-Omniscience, Clairvoyance, Precognition. They knew it all. Sylvia was considered the strongest Stargazer born in centuries. A few months ago, she asked for a secret audience with the Butterfly Princess of the Beastmen. She informed Nyra that in one of the Dungeons on the Human Continent, she will find what she needed. ¡°You mean, I will find a Spirit there?¡± Nyra at that time was desperate for one. Spirits were a high-born species, but unfortunately for her, all the Spirits that the Woodland Races coexisted with already had owners, and she was forbidden from going back to the war-stricken Evergarden, to track down more. That¡¯s why Nyra took her trusted subordinates and left for the Human Continent without telling anyone, despite it may escalating to a diplomatic issue. That¡¯s how desperate she was to get her hands on a Spirit. But, she couldn¡¯t believe her luck when she found out that there were two Spirits in the prophesied location. ¡°Let¡¯s search the swamp. The Spirit Egg should be there.¡± ¡®Squelch!¡¯ Suddenly, a sound came from nearby. The sound was so light that even a passing bat wouldn¡¯t have been able to hear it. But Max had honed all his senses to the extreme and was on high alert. Right now, he could even hear the sound of fine dust settling on the ground. Slowly he approached muckheap, spotting two people he was not at all expecting. ¡°H-hi!¡± The blue-haired Hero waved at him awkwardly.
If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that a 7-foot-tall demi-lion was standing on top of her, Evva could swear that she would have died from the second-hand embarrassment she felt. ¡®Hi? I admit that the encounter was quite shocking, but a Hi? Was that the only thing he could say at the moment? Even a cheesy novel won¡¯t have such a cliched line.¡¯ Despite the awkward greeting, the Beastman continued to glare at them. More specifically at the person beside her. If stares could kill, then Ray would have already died a hundred times over and more. ¡°Look what the cat dragged in? Is the little mouse already tired of playing its little games?¡± The Lion Beastman¡¯s voice boomed across the swamp. Unfortunately, his eyes fell on the item in Ray''s hand. ¡°Oh, and look, you found the Spirit. Let me kill you and take that treasure off your cold hands.¡± ¡°You know, in these types of cases, the villain usually says that he will let me live if I give him my treasure.¡± Ray retorted. ¡°Haa.¡± Max just laughed at his remark. ¡°I don¡¯t think you deserve that mercy-¡± Without even completing his sentence, a punch flew through the air toward us. Whether it was our high Stats or just our desperation to survive, Evva and Ray jumped back at the last moment. The shockwave of the punch instead travelled into the ground, erupting tremors. ¡®What the hell! How is the punch so strong? Isn''t there some damn force that''s preventing us from invoking mana?¡¯ ¡°Evva, run from here. He¡¯s after me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. I will take the high ground and shoot from there.¡± ¡°No! Just get away from here and find Kazuya-¡± ¡°The fact that you two are casually conversing must mean I don¡¯t seem like much of a threat to you.¡± Max suddenly appeared in between them, landing another punch on the ground. ¡°I am going to make you feel exactly how I felt fighting against that Boss monster.¡± Evva didn¡¯t really understand what the Beastman was saying, but she could sense it by looking into his eyes. The Beastman was furious. And his rage was directed toward Ray. Whatever happened between them before they met, must have been something really perilous that could make even a B Ranker angry. ¡®Finding Sir Kazuya would be the best course of action right now.¡¯ Although she didn''t like the fact that she had to run away to call for help, there was nothing she could do. She was powerless. She scrambled to get away from the two fighters, desperate to escape the swamp. ¡°Where do you think you are going?¡± An attack suddenly appeared from behind, throwing her to the side. Evva flew in the air before hitting a tree. In front of her, the other Beastman slowly descended onto the ground. Her giant wings elegantly folded behind her back. ¡®Crap, I forgot about this one!¡¯ She was the one who attacked them when Evva and Ray jumped into the river. The Beast woman slowly glided towards her, walking elegantly despite standing on a swamp. ¡°My apologies. I am usually not one to get physical but the Spirit¡¯s Field is blocking my mana.¡± Evva quickly drew her gun and shot out two bullets. ¡°This is my usual way of fighting. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± ''Spirit? Field?'' Although they were unfamiliar terms, Evva could vaguely understand that the woman was talking about the strange phenomenon of the swamp. ¡°I always knew humans were lowly creatures, but your behaviour is most infuriating.¡± Nyra criticised, as she sidestepped the bullets. Evva shot two more bullets but in vain. Once it became apparent that the fight was useless, Evva decided to run. It was only by one sub-Rank, but Evva could see that the Beastwoman was on the upper end of the B+ Rank spectrum. The fate of their battle was imminent, so there was no use staying here. But before she could run, another kick threw her away. Although this time she was more prepared, the impact was still significant. ¡°Don¡¯t try to get up again. You will only get hurt.¡± ¡®Whoosh!¡¯ A white fan suddenly lodged itself in between the two. Surprised at the sudden attack, Nyra''s eyes began to dart, looking for the hidden attacker. ¡®Squish! Squash!¡¯ A human slowly walked in between the two. The human was dressed in a manner quite unlike the ones she had previously met. A loose blue robe was draped over his body, much like the ones worn by the Elven priests during their prayers. Nyra quickly recalled him as the A+ Ranker that the Elves warned her about. ¡°It took you a while to get here, didn¡¯t it?¡± Nyra sneered at him. ¡°My apologies if I kept you waiting, Ojou-san!¡± Kazuya politely replied. Taking a glance at the injured Evva, his eyebrows furrowed. ¡°But don¡¯t you think, you have something to apologise for as well?¡± ¡°Me? Apologise? Whatever do you mean?¡± ¡°The Fae Forest and the Human Continent are under the Peace Treaty. What you have done is a major transgression against the law set up by The Five Races.¡± ¡°Even if you know about it, what can you do? We will be long gone before anyone can come and capture us, leaving you with no evidence.¡± ¡°I currently have one of your Elven warriors in my custody, and I have already placed her under a spell. She won¡¯t be able to leave this Dungeon nor be able to martyr herself unless I want her to.¡± On hearing his threat, Nyra gave it some thought. ¡°It¡¯s tragic but I guess we will have to leave her here. I will declare her as a rogue Elf upon my return. She betrayed the Elven tribe and ran away to the Human Continent all alone. You can¡¯t prove it otherwise.¡± ¡°Haa. You Beastman are quite heartless.¡± ¡°Nature isn¡¯t merciful. And we, its worshippers, aren¡¯t either.¡± Nyra answered coldly. ¡°But you know, there is one way I wouldn¡¯t have to sacrifice one of my soldiers. You know what it is?¡± Suddenly she vanished, appearing in front of Kazuya, her leg raised to kick him away. ¡°It¡¯s by killing you!¡±
Despite her extraordinary speed, the attack didn¡¯t go as planned. Evva couldn¡¯t process the movement fully, but suddenly the hand fan that had previously been stuck in the ground, was back in its owner¡¯s hand, blocking the Beastwoman¡¯s attack. ¡°I hate to break it to you, but the League didn¡¯t dispatch me because they took this investigation as a joke. They sent me because they have trust in my ability to handle the situation with expertise, despite not having any previous knowledge about it.¡± ¡°I guess I greatly underestimated you. MAX!!¡± She called out to her comrade. The Beastman and Ray, who were playing a lethal game of tag, turned toward the sudden call. Max gave up on his hunt and returned to his friend¡¯s side, leaving an exhausted Ray behind. ¡°No matter how strong you are, with the two of us here, you have no chance to escape.¡± Nyra declared. ¡°Now I seriously am offended. I am one of the strongest mages ever known to mankind, you know.¡± Kazuya pouted at the enemy¡¯s lack of intel. ¡°I won¡¯t deny you are strong. Stronger than even me at my current level. But inside this Field, your mana means nothing.¡± ¡°Oh, you mean this?¡± Kazuya slowly motioned his hand, getting a feel of the mana and the strange power that was at work. ¡°This Field, as you called it, is not supposed to block your mana, you know. It is there to balance the opposing mana in the air. Since this area is brimming with water mana, its opposite element is all the more welcome to be used.¡± Kazuya''s hand fan, which had remained shut throughout this entire time, suddenly opened up. Suddenly someone tugged at Evva¡¯s shoulder. She looked back to find Luca. ¡°Get up. We need to leave. NOW!¡± He quickly helped her to her feet before dragging her away. ¡°What about Ray?¡± she asked, concerned about the professor. ¡°He¡¯s a professor. He will figure it out.¡± Luca replied uncaringly, his only concern being to take Evva away from this fight as fast as possible. Evva couldn¡¯t figure out what was making Luca so desperate. But when she looked back at Kazuya, all her doubts were cleared. Spring had arrived Kazuya and the Beastmen. Literally! Lava-red flowers were blooming around the three, while green whirlwinds plucked their petals, swirling them around. It looked like they were inside a beautiful tornado made out of flowers. As Evva looked at the scene before her, she recalled a particular memory. When she learned that Sakura Kazuya would be her mentor during her internship, Evva had asked her mom, a friend of his, how she would describe him. ¡°Beautiful. And deadly. That¡¯s how I will describe him. He¡¯s like a beautiful rose with thorns coated in the deadliest poison. But even if you know the thorn has poison, he is still a rose you will pick.¡± At that time, Evva didn¡¯t truly understand what her mother meant. Although Kazuya¡¯s looks were indeed stunning, and his unique wardrobe gave him a weirdly pleasant charm, it wasn¡¯t strong enough to make her pick a deadly flower. But looking at the spell her mentor had summoned, Evva finally understood what her mother had told her. The crimson red and emerald green glowed magnificently around him. It would be a sin to call it an attack. Art would have been a more apt way to describe what she was looking at. If something so bewitching was reaching out to her, then she would have definitely reached out for the forbidden fruit. And it seemed like the two Beastmen shared her thoughts. The entrancing dance of the flowers in the breeze had left them mesmerised and frozen in their steps. By the time they came back to their senses, the flowers, made out of fire mana, had left several burns on their bodies. Even the ground was on fire, despite the abundance of moisture in the soil. Alas, she wasn¡¯t able to see the ending of the brawl for soon the two of them were back in the woods. She didn¡¯t know when, but at one point the lock on her mana seemed to have lifted, and she was able to move it freely again. ¡°We should go back for them!¡±, she pleaded to Luca, after she checked that her mana was in perfect condition. ¡°Did you look at the level of the spell Kazuya was using? At this point, we would only be a burden to him. The best we can do is get away from the attack zone as fast as possible.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s two of them. What if he gets into trouble?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to worry about me being in trouble, Evva.¡± A voice suddenly called out to her from behind. A silhouette of two people came out from the forest. ¡°Sir Kazuya!¡± She ran towards her mentor, who was supporting Professor Ray. There were a few burns on his body, meaning the Fire Flower spell hadn''t him untouched. Thankfully, it seemed that he had taken a Healing Potion since the burns were already repairing themselves. ¡°Thank god, you two aren¡¯t hurt.¡± She sighed in relief, seeing that her mentor was unharmed. ¡°I am honestly more hurt by the fact that you think I would be in trouble.¡± Kazuya pointed out. ¡°Not to mention, it was dangerous on your part as well. I ordered Luca to take you away because I didn¡¯t want you two to get hurt by my spell.¡± ¡°I just thought that since that weird spell that bound our mana was gone, we would be able to help you from somewhere far away.¡± ¡°I admire your desire to help, but it would do well for you to remember from next time to prioritise your own survival, lest you become a burden to others, much like Sir Ray here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not fair. The Beastman really did a number on me, so I wasn¡¯t able to escape. And you could have at least reined in that spell of yours!¡± Ray whined. ¡°Why would I need to rein in my spell? My students were nowhere near it.¡± Kazuya just scoffed in reply. ¡°That¡¯s discrimination. I am much weaker than this student of yours.¡± He pointed in her direction. ¡°Where was that reasoning of yours when you decided to anger the Beastmen? Heaven knows how much trouble that caused us.¡± ¡°Speaking of the Beastmen, where are they now?¡± Luca decided to change the subject. Seeing two adults fighting like kids in front of them, made him feel uncomfortable. ¡°...those two escaped.¡± The two replied after a small silence. ¡°What about that thing we found? Below the mountain of corpses!¡± Evva suddenly remembered the mysterious item they had discovered after that gruelling task. ¡°Sorry, but it seems the Artifact disappeared while I was distracted by my burns.¡± Ray apologised to her. For a brief moment, Evva thought she could see a small movement on Ray¡¯s arm, but it quickly disappeared like it never existed. Must have been from exhaustion. ¡°Sensei, shouldn¡¯t you be going after those Elves from before? If we can capture them now, it would still be beneficial to the League.¡± Luca reminded Kazuya. Kazuya shook his head. ¡°It looks like that Beastwoman was true to her promise. Except for the Elf that is under my captivity, it seems that the rest have disappeared. Didn¡¯t you say the Beastman was fighting one of the Boss monsters? A portal should have opened near its corpse.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go and exit this Dungeon!¡± Ray pointed in the direction of the Boss¡¯ corpse. Chapter 27: The League Headquarters At the moment, Evva, Luca, and I were waiting at the Dungeon exit. As Kazuya had said, a portal had indeed opened up in the vicinity of the defeated Boss, though it was located in quite a well-hidden spot. Kazuya instructed us to wait at its location while he went to fetch the detained Elf. ¡®Man, I can¡¯t believe how natural a liar you are. You lied to that kid with such a straight face, even I was convinced.¡¯ Deus kept ridiculing me, bombarding my head with criticism. ¡®Is this some side effect of being stuck in a strange cocoon for so long?¡¯ I was seriously rethinking my decision to free him. I looked to my side, where the sun-coloured snake had curled up around the dichromatic Egg. ¡®Well, because of him I was able to keep the Egg without Kazuya finding out about it, so let¡¯s just bear his comments for now.¡¯ I remembered what a close call it had been, back during the fight between Kazuya and the two Beastmen. ***** The glowing crimson petals were still fluttering around, slowly covering up the entire swamp. I couldn¡¯t even understand how he could use magic, despite the Spirit Field in effect. ¡®Appraisal!¡¯
Yin Yang Spirit Field Magical Law in Effect: "In the balance of yin and yang lies the power to create, to transform, and to achieve true harmony." The Law enforces the balance of yin and yang energy within its area of control. Since the swamp is abundant in Yin energy (Water and Earth), Yang energy (Fire and Air elements) is needed to balance it out. No other form of mana can be used. Caution: The Law would prevent further disruptions from taking place, so unless the exerted mana is able to balance out the energy completely in a region, no spell would activate.
¡®Hmm. Why didn¡¯t I get this information before?¡¯ The way to bypass the Law placed was to analyse the mana quality in the region and release an exact amount of your mana to neutralise it. Doing this not only required having excellent Mana Perception but also Fine Mana Control and a tremendous mana pool. It was something only possible for a High Ranker like Kazuya. But what I found weird was the fact that although having that information might not have helped me in any way, as I didn¡¯t have the particular skill set, why didn¡¯t Appraisal give me the information before? And if it didn¡¯t, why did it give me the information now? But before I could dwell on it more, a loud howl pierced my ears. No, rather than my ears, the scream was directly transmitted into my head. I immediately understood who it was. ¡®DEUS!¡¯ I quickly began to look for my kidnapped pet. Soon, I found his weird cocoon lying lodged in the mud, magical fire burning it from one side. Kazuya¡¯s incandescent storm must have flung it away. ¡®Master! Help me. It''s hot!¡¯ Deus sobbed in my mind. I tried to stomp out the fire, but probably because its fuel was Kazuya¡¯s huge mana reserves and not oxygen, but it didn¡¯t seem to work. Thankfully, the fire had started to burn through the cocoon threads, so I just tore them off. With its prison now gone, Deus wrapped his wings around me, sobbing. ¡°Whimper! I thought you were going to leave with those scary Beastmen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. I will never leave you.¡± I patted Deus on his head, comforting him. This could have been a pretty emotional moment, but while I was trying to reassure my crying Spirit, I completely forgot about the Spirit beside me. The Taijutsu Egg had been on high alert due to the presence of so many strong individuals near it. Suddenly finding the presence of fellow kin nearby seemed to have calmed it down. Like a crying baby, who falls asleep on seeing its mother, the Spirit Egg let down its guard and the Spirit Field that was enforced on the entire swamp slowly lifted. Annoyingly for Kazuya, this nullification of the Magical Law brought along unpleasant consequences. The Beastmen, sensitive to the fluctuations of mana around them, quickly realised that the ban on their mana had been lifted and took an offensive stance. To counter Kazuya¡¯s flower storm, Nyra blew up one of hers. But unfortunately for the Butterfly Princess, Kazuya, no longer constrained by the limits of the Spirit¡¯s Field, boosted his mana reserves, quickly overwhelming her attack. Understanding that any further attacks would be futile, Max took the best next option. ''Sacrificial Buff!'' Abstaining his sense of smell and touch, a power burst went up to his limbs. He quickly scooped up his companion before fleeing from the scene, barely being able to collect his rewards from the Boss. Kazuya tried to follow him, but Max punched him aside. Despite how powerful Kazuya was as a mage, his physical capabilities were inferior when compared to a strength-based Beastman like Max. Receiving the powerful blow, Kazuya was flung far away. By the time he came to his senses, the two had already disappeared. Seeing that the fight was coming to an end, I quickly told Deus to hide and handed him the Egg. He activated ¡®Fade¡¯, disappearing before Kazuya could sense him. ¡°Kazuya!¡± I hollered, making him aware of my location. Hearing my cries, he soon came to me. ¡°You look horrible!¡± He smirked at my appearance. My clothes had been damaged beyond repair, with several large holes in them. Confronting Max had put a lot of strain on my body, but the majority of my wounds consisted of burns that were caused by Kazuya''s wild use of mana. ¡°Thanks to you!¡± I retorted to his comment. ¡°You are lucky that¡¯s the extent of your injuries.¡± He grinned as he helped me back to my feet. Shivers went down my spine, as I knew how serious his remark was. Kazuya¡¯s mana was said to be hotter than lightning, and the fact that the only thing I suffered was some second-degree burns was no short of a miracle. His mana-produced crimson petals were slowly dissipating around the swamp. Despite all the water here, the fact that a forest fire hadn¡¯t started was surprising. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be following them? What if the Beastmen went after Evva and Luca?¡± I asked him, seeing how relaxed he was. ¡°Nah. They are heading in the complete opposite direction, probably to find their friends and leave.¡± ¡°You are letting them leave on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Do you know about the hierarchy of the Beastmen, Ray?¡± ¡°Hierarchy of the Beastmen?¡± ¡°Yes! Among the Beastmen, there is an unspoken rule that the fiercer the animal nature of a Beastman, the higher their position in society. But didn¡¯t you find it weird that a Lion was humbling himself to a mere Butterfly?¡± ¡°If you put it that way, then it is weird.¡± ¡°I believe that the Butterfly Beastwoman must be someone of quite a high social rank, or at least has very strong backing. Especially considering that they were reckless enough to infiltrate the Human Continent, ignoring the punishments that may befall them for breaking the Treaty.¡± Kazuya explained. ¡°That¡¯s why it is for the best to let them go.¡± As a Reader and a person, I was speechless. Most of the story took place on the Human Continent, so although there were some characters from the Woodland Tribes, nothing much had been discussed about their society. I was amazed at how much information Kazuya was able to extract, just by observing the enemies¡¯ interactions. But it also hit me again. The fact that this world was a real place. It wasn¡¯t a figment of my friend¡¯s imagination or ink on paper, but a real world with actual people living in it, who don¡¯t move according to the will of a pen. ¡°Let us leave now. The two of us met up with Evva and Luca, before heading to the location of the Dinosaur corpse. I quickly changed into some spare clothes, while Kazuya headed back into the forest. After about half an hour, he returned, with a Moonlit Elf towing behind. Her hands were cuffed. The cuffs were marked with different Runes for enchantments. I didn''t have much knowledge about Enchantments, but the Runes probably translated to anti-magic and strengthening, to prevent the escape of prisoners. Her brows were furrowed, showing how much she hated her current situation. Even her bright white hair had darkened to a night black colour, due to her inability to access her mana. But despite that, she obediently followed Kazuya, probably scared of his terrifying Aura. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°We should start heading back now.¡± I spoke up once everyone had gathered. ¡°Before that, Mr. Ray. I need you to come with us to the League HQ.¡± Kazuya informed me. ¡°Sure!¡± I agreed. The five of us stepped into the portal one by one. The exit destination was surprisingly close to the city¡¯s barrier. Before we began to head towards the Capital, Kazuya instructed the Elf, whose name we learned was Amara, to hide her ears with her hood. If an Elf was seen in the heart of the Human Continent, it would cause quite an uproar, so we decided to proceed with caution. Thankfully we didn¡¯t see anyone on our way to the Barrier. Once we crossed the invisible mana wall, we found a black SUV waiting. As soon as it saw us come closer, the driver¡¯s door opened up and a man in a suit came up to us. ¡°My greetings, Sir Kazuya.¡± He curtsied to his superior. ¡°Everyone, get in the car.¡± Kazuya instructed us. ¡°Kei, we will be heading to the League HQ.¡± Soon, all of us had mounted the SUV and the car was smoothly navigating the bustling roads of the Capital. Since the League had many members with very high Perception, I told Deus to head back home. I couldn''t have anyone at the League noticing that I own a Spirit. ¡®Keep the Spirit Egg safe in my bedroom till I get there.¡¯ I instructed him. Soon, we found ourselves in the League underground parking lot. Despite coming here recently, I was still quite astonished at the Hero League¡¯s grandeur. When we reached the location, four guards were already present there, ready to transport the prisoner. The guards were wearing black uniforms, and although they weren¡¯t carrying any visible weapons, their Auras were far from gentle. All of them were of B Ranks and according to Appraisal, seemed to be quite the weapon masters. ¡®Isn¡¯t this a bit overkill? Kazuya is already looking after the Elf!¡¯ Though, I guess from the League¡¯s perspective, a breach of the Treaty is a very serious issue and had to be proceeded with caution. We were transported to the hundredth floor of the building, the topmost floor suitable for holding the most important meetings with the top executives of the League. When we stepped out of the lift, my breath was taken away. The floor was stunning, designed to show the majesty of the League. The walls were made of mirrored glass, overlooking the entire Capital City. The lift opened up in a hallway, with the meeting room at the very end of it. As we walked across the long corridor, the students'' eyes darted around, clearly uncomfortable with their location. As we stepped in front of the meeting room, the doors automatically opened up. But unlike the outside, the inside of the meeting room was quite simple. A long white marble table stood in the centre, with comfortable office chairs surrounding it. On the periphery of the room stood multiple holographic boards, with different articles displayed on them. As we entered the room, the attention of the occupants of the meeting table turned toward us. The sudden pressure of receiving the gazes of multiple SS Rank individuals at once was enough to make me pass out on the spot. Thankfully, our discomfort was noticed and soon the burden was released. Though being the bearer of so many gazes was still heavy. As I scanned the individuals with my ¡®Appraisal¡¯, I recognised many characters from the novel. One of them stuck out to me the most. A tall and handsome man stood at the head of the table. He had shimmering silver hair and emerald-green eyes. He had the appearance of the CEO of some big company, probably in his 40s. Even without Appraisal, I recognised him at once. Rufus Briar. The President of the Hero League. When The Catastrophe occurred, he was among the first generation of humans to have Awakened. Having gone through several Dungeon Rampages, and gone through Spartan-level of training, he was currently the Strongest Hero in the Human Continent. His skill was ¡®Herald of Cataclysm¡¯, a SS Ranked Skill that allowed him to bring forth natural disasters. His absurdly powerful skill, coupled with his almost never-ending mana pool, it was said that if he wanted, he could have easily destroyed the pre-Catastrophe Earth in only a matter of seconds. ''Appraisal!''
Name: Rufus Briar Rank: SS+ SS Rank Title: Nature¡¯s Sovereign Stats:
  • Strength 17.4
  • Stamina 17.3
  • Agility 17.9
  • Perception 18.7
  • Magic Power 19.5
  • Intelligence 6
  • Charm 8
Abilities:
  • Hand-to-Hand Combat(¡ï¡ï¡ï): Coordinates the body for easy movements and helps the user to use their body to fight more efficiently. Allows the user to easily learn basic martial art techniques. As mastery increases, it will allow the user to subconsciously dodge dangers. [Advanced Level]
Skills:
  • Herald of Cataclysm(SS): Allows the user to summon natural disasters, bringing forth massive death and destruction. On a smaller scale, allows the user to completely manipulate their surroundings.
  • [Inherited] Dryad¡¯s Blessing (S): It increases the mana replenishment rate of the user if they are close to nature. In a forest, the user¡¯s mana will be almost unlimited.
  • Plant Manipulation(B): Allows the user to manipulate plants in the vicinity.
Suitable Class: Mage Mana Compatibility:
  • Air: 100%
  • Earth: 100%
  • Fire: 100%
  • Water: 100%
¡®Wow! SS as well as S Rank Skills. What an OP guy.¡¯ There was also a new addition I had never seen before - SS Rank Title. All Awakened, regardless of being a Hero or Fallen, receive a Title upon ascending to the SS Rank. The title is usually based on one¡¯s skill set or something they are well-known for, and automatically gets displayed on their status screen. Receiving the Title acknowledges the fact that the person is someone who has transcended the mortal plane of existence. Among Humanity, such figures receive power and fame equivalent to an Emperor in the Roman Empire. Out of the billion humans living on Earth and the ten million Awakened walking among them, the chance of reaching this Rank was only one in a million Awakened. ¡®When the main character Rhian reached the SS Rank, I believe he received the Title Blood Monarch.¡¯ Kazuya and the rest bowed down to the League President. I followed suit. ¡°We greet the Nature¡¯s Sovereign!¡± All four of us spoke in unison. Amara, beside us, scoffed, but she too bowed her head. She may not view humans in a positive light, but she can never ignore someone whose reached the SS Rank. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Kazuya, give your report.¡± Rufus¡¯ voice was heavy with the authority it carried. I could feel the pressure, despite not being the recipient of his order. ¡°Yes! As instructed, I entered the C Rank Dungeon, The Snow Forest, along with the newly appointed interns, Luca Wagner and Evva Pavlov. Our instructions were to find the culprit responsible for attacking the mercenaries and Heroes out of the Dungeon, and to apprehend them if possible¡­¡± Kazuya briefly recounted his experiences in the Dungeons. When I was mentioned, I could feel the eyes of everyone in the room fall on me. Except for the students, nobody here was oblivious to the Laxon Family¡¯s current circumstances. I could feel their stares, as they were wondering why I was at the location of the Woodland Folks. Once Kazuya ended his report, chaos erupted at the meeting table. ¡°How can the Elves and Beastmen break the Treaty so brazenly? They must be belittling the authority of Humans.¡± One executive raised his voice ¡°I agree. The other Races have always looked down on us just because we received the blessing of mana much later than them.¡± A second executive backed him. ¡°We should send an envoy to the Fae Forest and ask them for compensation.¡± Said a third. ¡°Even if the Beastmen infiltrated one of our Dungeons, there is nothing we can do. We can¡¯t call them out when our hostage is one measly Elf.¡± Reasoned a fourth. ¡®Wow, I am glad Kazuya let Nyra leave.¡¯ That was the only thought that came to my mind as I saw the greed of some of the executives leaking out. If she was truly a high-ranking person like Kazuya had speculated, then it was a good thing we hadn¡¯t captured her. These executives would have surely asked for some ridiculous compensation in return for sending back the hostage. Despite all the compensation that could have been received in return for capturing her, it was not worth the destruction that could have possibly been brought by the Beastman and Human Races clashing. All while this happened, Rufus remained silent. After ten minutes of pointless discussion, he finally spoke up. ¡°Silence!¡± All that he spoke was a single word, but the entire room fell so silent that you could even hear the heartbeat of the person next to you. ¡°Since we don¡¯t have any actual proof or significant hostages, there is nothing we can do to negotiate with Fae Forest. As any further discussion over this matter would not yield any significant result I forbid bringing up the matter. Especially since we have company with us.¡± The executives finally looked back at us, realising that we were still there. ¡°Guards, take the Elf to the underground prison and interrogate her for any information you can get.¡± Rufus commanded the guards who had escorted us here. Amara was taken out of the room. I had never seen or even read of the League¡¯s prisons, but I doubt they would have been pleasant. Beside me, I could hear Kazuya let out a quiet sigh. I could understand his feelings. I didn''t view the Elves and the Beastman in a positive light. After all, they had tried to kill me. The only reasons why I refrained from killing them were that I feared the retaliation of their stronger comrades and the fact that I needed a scapegoat to pin the blame on for the missing Artifact. But it was still hard to look at her without sympathy, considering this is what Ray¡¯s future is supposed to be in the novel. I bit my bottom lip as my heart ached over my uncertain future. Rufus then turned to a secretary that was standing beside him. ¡°Byron, hand them the contracts.¡± A distinguished-looking man in a suit came toward them and handed a document to Evva, Luca, and me. I could feel a small amount of mana in it.

Non-Disclosure Agreement

This contract states that the concerned party will not reveal the discovery of Elves to any third party not approved by the Hero League¡­
¡®A Magic Contract?¡¯ Magic Contracts were developed with the industrialisation of mana. They bound a party¡¯s mana to it upon signing. If any of the rules on the contract are broken by the party, then the person¡¯s mana recoils back violently, causing them immense pain. These contracts were Ranked as well and varied depending on how much pain was inflicted upon breaching the contract. The contract in my hand was to keep the Elves¡¯ trespassing a secret from others. The secretary must be quite capable, seeing how he was able to draft the contract so quickly. ¡°I hope the three of you sign the given contract so that we can keep this information confidential. It would only cause unnecessary panic among people if it is leaked. Especially since there is already tension brewing between Guilds.¡± I could feel Rufus¡¯ stare on me as he spoke out the last line. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won''t tell anyone about this.¡± I quickly signed the contract and handed it back to the secretary. As the ink stained the paper, I could feel a small amount of mana leaving my body, officially establishing the contract. Once Evva and Luca had signed their contracts too, Kazuya escorted us out of the room, and back to the parking lot. Two cars were waiting for us there. ¡°Evva! Luca! You two get back safely. Your parents have already been informed about everything, so rest assured.¡± The two quickly said their farewells to their mentor and drove off in their car. Kazuya then turned to me. ¡°Sir Ray, I would like to offer you my thanks for the assistance you provided us in the Dungeon.¡± ¡°Don''t mention it. You saved my life plenty of times as well.¡± ¡°I heard from Misa that she has been training you nowadays so that you can get to the next stage of your Sword Art. You have gotten much stronger compared to how the rumours used to portray you.¡± ¡°Thank you for the praise. But I am still lacking in strength compared to you.¡± ¡°Haha, don¡¯t be humble. Just keep up with your training. I am sure you will pass your brother in no time.¡± Kazuya praised me. ¡°And while I am not able to thank you in any way right now, if you ever require my help in the future, don¡¯t hesitate to contact me.¡± ¡°I will be sure to keep that in mind.¡± We exchanged goodbyes before I got in the car. The driver quickly took off, taking me to Cobalt Road. Chapter 28: Yin and Yang The sun was already setting, by the time the car rolled up into the driveway of my house. Hearing the unfamiliar noise, Jacob came out. He slowly walked towards me as I got out. ¡°Welcome back.¡± He greeted me. ¡°It''s good to be back. Did you see Deus yet?¡± ¡°He came back a couple of hours ago.¡± Jacob informed me. When I entered my house, Mike welcomed me. ¡°Mike, I have a gift for you. Let me freshen up first, then I will give it to you.¡± When I came back from my room, having taken a hot shower, Mike and Jacob, were already sitting at the dining table. He was fidgeting a lot, excitement sparkling in his eyes as he pondered about his gift. Deus slithered to my side as I took the Spirit Egg and placed it at the centre of the round table. ¡°Um, what is this?¡± Mike stared at the dichromatic Orb in confusion. ¡°Mike, do you remember what your Skill is? Aside from Foresight?¡± ¡°Of course! It¡¯s some S Rank Skill called Spirit Master.¡± Suddenly his eyes drooped like a puppy in the rain. ¡°But I heard, it¡¯s a useless Skill, despite its high Rank.¡± ¡®Hmm? That''s weird! I never told him anything much about the skill. How did he find out about the public opinion of Spirit Master? Did someone tell him? Anyway¡­¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s true that society deems this particular Skill to be useless. But that¡¯s only because they haven¡¯t seen its true potential yet.¡± I explained to him and pointed toward the Egg. ¡°This Egg is the main part of your Skill.¡± ¡°That Egg?¡± The confusion deepened in Mike¡¯s eyes. ¡°You know my friend Deus, right? He came out of an Egg like that.¡± ¡°Wait, so will I get a pet like Deus?¡± ¡°Well, a pet is a bit¡­¡± I was gonna refute, but seeing Mike¡¯s sparkling eyes over a prospective companion, I shut my mouth. ¡°Yes! You will get a pet!¡± ¡°What? A pet? We are more honour-¡± Deus tried to argue, but I clamped his mouth. But the ban on his mouth did little to dampen his fury. ¡®How can you say that about me! We Spirits take pride in our species.¡¯ ¡®Of course, I know how strong you guys are. But at this point, it will be better to show him what you can do rather than explain it.¡¯ I calmly explained to him. ¡°Mike, why don¡¯t you inject some of your mana into the Egg.¡± I instructed him. ¡°Oh! Okay!¡± He stared at the Egg in nervousness. He gently placed his hand on top of the Egg. A warm glow emitted from his hand before sinking into the Egg. ¡®Crack!¡¯ Immediately Mike retracted his hand in fear. I gave him a look of reassurance, as four pairs of eyes stared at the Egg, slowly hatching to life. The shell was slowly pushed away, and a small snow-white paw emerged out of the Egg. As more of the shell began to fall apart, a baby fox slowly tumbled out. As we adored the white furball, a squeak came out of the Egg. A black snout pushed out, searching for its twin. The baby fox slowly tumbled out, making its way toward us with its clumsy steps. Deus came forward to examine the two new Spirits. ¡®Wow! Mike lucked out on the Spirit Department. Two Spirits in a single Egg. That¡¯s extremely rare.¡¯ As Deus examined the two newborns, they, in turn, cooed over Deus¡¯ shimmering golden scales. ¡®Hey Deus, why aren¡¯t these two talking?¡¯ I remembered how Deus started speaking the moment he hatched. ¡®Obviously not! They are newborns. Didn¡¯t you see them hatch in front of your eyes?¡¯ ¡®I mean, I saw you hatch too. But it¡¯s not like you were acting like one.¡¯ ¡®I am far more unique than other Spirits.¡¯ Deus puffed out his chest as if he was proud of something. ¡®You mean you are weirder than other Spirits!¡¯ I corrected him, shooting him a smirk. Deus stared at me in shock. ¡®Master..!¡¯ ¡°Well, Mike! How do you like your gifts?¡± I asked. Looking at the babies in excitement, Mike''s hand fidgeted over their heads, nervous about touching their delicate bodies. He turned towards me. ¡°They are adorable.¡± He told me with a wide grin. ¡°Why don¡¯t you name them?¡± I advised him. ¡°Names?¡± He still nervously looked at the two baby foxes. ¡°Gosh, at this rate you will never be able to hold them.¡± I gently scooped the two and placed them in Mike''s arms. He instantly froze up as the two babies squealed in joy at being held by their Master. ¡°So what are you going to name them?¡± Mike gave it a long thought, and then finally spoke up. ¡°I will name the black one Yuna. And the white one will be Yuki.¡± The two Spirits barked at their Master, delighted at their new names. ¡®Appraisal¡¯
Yuna (Yin Spirit) Title: The Duality Spirit Rank: E Stats:
  • Strength 1
  • Stamina 1
  • Agility 1
  • Perception 1
  • Magic Power 1
  • Intelligence 1
Yin is a Spirit that was created by the concept of Opposite Forces. She depicts the passive and feminine side, as compared to her male counterpart. Mana Compatibility:
  • Darkness: 100%
  • Earth: 100%
  • Water: 100%
Yuki (Yang Spirit) Title: The Duality Spirit Rank: E Stats:
  • Strength 1
  • Stamina 1
  • Agility 1
  • Perception 1
  • Magic Power 1
  • Intelligence 1
Yang is a Spirit that was created by the concept of Opposite Forces. He depicts the active and masculine side, as compared to his female counterpart. Mana Compatibility:
  • Air: 100%
  • Fire: 100%
  • Light: 100%
As Mike, Jacob, and Deus played with the pups, I brought out some milk for the two to drink. ¡°I think we will need to buy some pet supplies?¡± Jacob told me. ¡°I will remember to order some tomorrow morning!¡± I picked Yuna up and placed her on my lap. Then I dipped my finger in the milk and brought it up to her mouth. She quickly began to lick it up. "What is that you are doing?" Mike curiously asked me. "I remembered seeing in a documentary that this is how you feed baby animals. It is usually for when they refuse to drink out of the bottle, but since I don''t have one either way..." I explained. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "Let me try too!" Mike sat down beside me and began to observe my actions. Looking at his attitude, I am sure he would take good care of his Spirits. "You should be careful here otherwise the baby can bite your fingers. Not that it would hurt, since they haven''t got their baby teeth yet." For the next hour, I did my best to explain it to him. Since I was tired after the Dungeon Raid, I decided to go to bed after dinner. I closed my eyes as the others continued to play. The next morning, I woke up quite early. Mike had passed out on the couch, with all three Spirits sleeping on the cushions. ¡°They fell asleep quite late last night.¡± Jacob was sitting at the kitchen counter, sipping a cup of Darjeeling tea as he surfed through his laptop. ¡°You woke up quite early.¡± I poured a cup for myself, taking a seat beside him. ¡°When you get to my age, habits are less likely to change.¡± Jacob was a normal 87-year-old human. If he had Awakened, he would have been considered one of the First Generation Heroes. But now, he was just an old and retired priest. But despite being so far in age, he was unlike the old men from my previous world. Just by being in an atmosphere with mana, his ageing process had slowed down. He was also quite fit, despite his old age. I would believe it if someone told me this guy was in his early 60s. ¡°Ding! Dong!¡± Suddenly the doorbell rang. ¡®I am not expecting any visitors so early in the morning!¡¯ ¡°Ah! It must be Mike¡¯s friend!¡± ¡°Friend?¡± ¡°Yeah! Recently Mike befriended a guy his age, who lives nearby. He began visiting not so long ago.¡± ¡°Ding! Dong!¡± The bell rang again. ''I am curious who this mysterious friend is!'' When I opened the door, standing in front of me was a handsome, silver-haired boy. ¡°Ryder?¡± ''I never expected him to be the guy who befriended Mike!'' ¡°Aren¡¯t you Rachel¡¯s professor?¡± Ryder looked at me in surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t know this was your house.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no wonder. I usually stay at the Academy dorms." "Um, is Mikael there?" ¡°He isn¡¯t awake yet, but still welcome in.¡± I invited him inside. Ryder stepped inside and went to greet Jacob at the counter. ¡°Ah, Ryder! It¡¯s good to see you again.¡± ¡°Good morning, Sir Jacob! It¡¯s a pleasure to see you again.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and wake Mikael up.¡± When Ryder went up to the sofa, a gleeful sound came out of his mouth. ¡°Oh my, Mr. Ray! I didn¡¯t know you had so many pets with you.¡± He stared at Yuki and Yuna in adoration. ¡°I just got them yesterday. They are for Mike.¡± I explained to him. I was a bit worried that Rufus might find out about my Spirits from Ryder, but I dismissed the thought. The Spirits were already bonded so the League can''t take them away from us. ¡°But what¡¯s with the snake?¡± Ryder pointed to Deus, who was slowly waking up because of the sudden disturbance. ¡°That one¡¯s mine. His name¡¯s Deus.¡± I introduced him. ¡°Wow, his scales are beautiful.¡± Hearing the compliment, Deus opened his eyes. ¡®Haa. Now this guy knows how to respect someone. Unlike a rude someone I know, who compares us to mere pets.¡¯ ¡®Well this rude someone here provides you with high-class monster meat, doesn¡¯t he? Every monster corpse that you eat can be sold for at least half a million R, you know?¡¯ Deus fell silent at my retort. Hearing voices, the other three woke up. ¡°Oh, Ryder! When did you get here?¡± Mike asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. ¡°Just a minute ago.¡± ¡°Mike, why don¡¯t you freshen up first.¡± I told him, as I took Ryder to the breakfast table. After came back from his shower, we all sat down. I had prepared a variety of eggs, sandwiches, and freshly squeezed juice. "Wow, this looks amazing!" Mike complimented me. "Of course! Though not as good as Jacob, I am a decent cook if I must say." "No need to sell yourself short Ray." Jacob praised me, as he picked up a sandwich. After a hearty meal, Mike and Ryder went out to the garden to train. Jacob told me before that lately Ryder was giving Mike weapons'' training. I was grateful for that since I hadn¡¯t learnt enough about it myself yet to help Mike. ¡®But isn¡¯t Ryder supposed to die soon? In the novel, he was said to have spent his remaining days depressed over his certain fate. Did something change from the novel?¡¯ ¡®Appraisal¡¯
Name: Ryder Briar Rank : Unawakened (Awakening Restricted) Status: Cursed Curse: Ryder¡¯s body has been cursed to be able to absorb mana from outside but never be able to Awaken. Soon his internal mana will overflow and cause a mana explosion leading to death. Time Until Death: 1 Month, 3 Days. ==========LOCKED========== Potential Rank: S Suitable Class: Weapon Master Mana Compatibility:
  • Earth: 90%
  • Water: 80%
  • Air: 70%
¡®What the hell? This boy is going to die in a month?¡¯ Not to mention, he¡¯s gonna die from mana explosion. Mana explosion was a condition that occurred when the body had too much mana and needs an outflow. It was something that High-Rankers suffered from if they became inactive for a long time. Of course, the treatment was simple. Just use magic! But for someone like Ryder, that was impossible. Even right now, this boy must be in a lot of pain, from the mana that was fighting inside him, wanting to come out. ¡°Ding! Dong!¡± The doorbell rang again. This time, a delivery man was standing at the threshold. He handed me a letter before going back. The envelope was quite fancy, so I am pretty sure this was an invitation. I opened it up. The contents read:
You''re invited to the ALL THAT GLITTERS: A GOLDEN CELEBRATION On 21st June, 20XX At 5 PM In The Aurum Guild Headquarters, Capital City Dress to impress and join us for an unforgettable night of elegance, live entertainment, delicious cuisine, and great company. RSVP by 1st June, 20XX to XXX Sincerely, The Aurum Guild
¡®Huh? Isn¡¯t today the 18th of June? Why am I getting the invitation now?¡¯ Ah, wait... I remembered the reminder I had gotten at the Academy. Well, it was about time that I cut ties with the Laxon Family. This event would be the perfect chance to go meet Ray''s family. But there was another problem. The deadline for the decline of the Laxon Family was approaching quickly. Even if I cut ties now, there is a huge chance that I would still be considered an accomplice to my half-brother¡¯s wrongdoings. If the executives of Hero League declared me to be an accomplice, it was the after-world for me. And the attitude I saw them display previously, didn''t exactly leave a positive impression. ¡®Thwack! Thud!¡¯ The sound of wooden swords clashing came from behind me, as Mikael and Ryder trained. As I stared at the silver-headed boy, I realised what I can do to completely escape my punishment.
I decided to visit the Academy today. A little less than a week had passed since the Midterms event, and although the break was supposed to be for two weeks, I decided to head back. There were still many students roaming the campus, despite there being no classes. The threat of Faydes roaming the campus was still high, so there was only one reason why the students will be here. A character arc for the story''s protagonist. In every novel you see, there is the main character trying to stick his nose in problems that the authorities should be managing. Well, it''s not like I didn¡¯t understand them. The monsters in such arcs were usually weak, and almost every fantasy world had great healing tech in them, so the students were probably getting reckless, using this fact to their advantage. And of course, my friend''s characters were part of such a clich¨¦ development. Such actions were usually done by the characters to show the audience that the character was someone strong enough to fight back and not be a by-stander. Though, now that I was a teacher, instead of thinking that he was a main character, he only looked like a troublemaking teenager to me. Wow, I pity the adults who are in charge of the main characters in novels. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t you be on alert? You were the only professor that got attacked last time.¡¯ Deus sneakily brought up by dark past. ¡®You passed out the last time you saw that nightmare.¡¯ ¡®That only happened because it was a memory from a long time ago. I am prepared this time.¡¯ ¡®If that¡¯s true, then you should be more prepared. Faydes only show your darkest fears. If you are prepared for it, then they will simply show you a different nightmare.¡¯ ¡®Is that so?¡¯ In the novel, monster characteristics weren''t explained so deeply, so having Deus explain facts like this was helpful. ¡®Though it does make me wonder where did this guy learn all this from?¡¯ As the two of us were discussing how to battle a Fayde, Misa approached me. ¡°Ray? I didn¡¯t know you were coming today?¡± She looked at me in surprise. ¡°Ah. I actually came to meet you.¡± ¡°Me? Why?¡± ¡°Well, I said I would help you with your investigation. But I never really did anything. So I came to help.¡± I explained, a bit guilty. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. Aren''t you busy with some complicated stuff yourself? I heard about the Dungeon Raid from Kazuya. That must not have been a pleasant experience.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t the thing about Elves supposed to be a national secret or something?¡± I found this unfair. I had to sign an NDA that was fatal to me, but he was going around spewing secrets like nothing. ¡°Well technically, I am a part of the League too, so it''s okay for me to know such information.¡± She explained, a bit apologetic. ¡°That¡¯s still unfair.¡± I quietly grumbled. ¡°Do you want an update on the monster situation?¡± She asked me, subtly changing the subject. I nodded at the question. ¡°Well, we have technically cleared out all the Faydes, except one. It''s hiding pretty well, so nobody has had any luck in searching for it.¡± She explained. ¡®That would be a piece of cake with my Appraisal.¡¯ ¡°Any reports on finding out who was the perpetrator in getting the monsters in?¡± I asked. ¡°None as of yet.¡± Finding a Fallen among our ranks would be difficult for me. I would have to use Appraisal on everyone to check whether they had demonic energy or not. In the novel, I remembered that one of the new Professors was supposed to be a Fallen. But weirdly, when I checked them before, neither of the two possessed demonic energy. ¡®I would have first thought that Appraisal was not able to scan demonic energy, but that felt highly unlikely since it was able to scan the demonic curse on Ryder. So that means neither of them truly went to the other side.¡¯ ¡°I will start with searching for the Fayde.¡± I reported. ¡°Sure, any help counts. Oh, and make sure to warn the students. Some of them are going around trying to search for it. They think they will make it to the news headlines for capturing a monster.¡± ¡°I will keep a lookout for misbehaving students as well then.¡± The two of us thus parted ways. I decided to head to my apartment for now. Chapter 29: A Day In the Life Of A Protagonist While outside the Capital City, a dispute had taken place between the Woodland Folks and the Humans, the situation was equally grim inside the walls of the Academy. A meeting between the first-years and the second-years commenced in an empty classroom. On one side sat the first-year students, headed by Rhian, Luke, and Rachel. The other side had the second-years with Miyu and her classmate, Hidde, a tall and bulky blond. The #1 Rank second-year wasn¡¯t with them, but Rhian was still relieved that such strong Awakened had gathered together. Behind the first trio stood the other students, mainly Luke''s two lackeys and Priyanka, a childhood friend of Rachel who had been reluctantly dragged here. On Miyu¡¯s side were her two best friends, Kyla and Ophelia. Kyla was a strong woman with a rough warrior-like appearance. She had mud-brown hair and eyes, sporting a leather jacket as well black combat boots. Ophelia, on the other hand, had a playful twinkle in her eyes, like a class troublemaker ready to prank the teacher. Her black hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, a stark contrast to her striking snake-green eyes. At first glance, she appeared to be a devout believer in Christ, with crosses adorning her earrings and rings, but her mischievous smile suggested a darker side. She wore an off-shoulder black top and matching skirt that accentuated her slender waist and elegant collarbones. In their second year at the Academy, students are required to enter different tournaments with students from other Hero Academies. On the surface, these competitions were supposed to promote trust and teamwork among future generations of heroes, but in reality, it was used by the students to dominate others and set the foundation for their reputation, so that in their third year, they are able to gain internships to bigger Guilds. Despite not being Heroes yet, Kyla and Ophelia were famous as ¡°The Mastermind and The Executioner¡± duo. Among the student circles, it was rumoured that as long as those two are together, even a C+ Rank Hero would have trouble against the two D Ranks, their teamwork was flawless. The two were standing at either side of Miyu, like bodyguards, and for some reason, they were glaring at him. ¡°Ahem, now that everyone has gathered together, let¡¯s begin our meeting.¡± Rhian started the meeting. ¡°As we all know, during the First Years¡¯ Midterms, monsters invaded our Academy and have been attacking the students ever since. This meeting has been called upon so that we students can help to resolve the problem.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t resolving problems like this the job of the Professors?¡± Priyanka complained, ready to leave this troublesome situation at any time. She would have gone back home like the other students, but she was worried about Rachel staying here, so decided otherwise. ¡°Of course, the professors are doing their job, but with monsters attacking the students, and the traitor still at large, the manpower has been spread too thin. That¡¯s why we, as future Heroes, should help them.¡± Rhian explained. Hearing the conversation, Luke stood up and pointed at him. ¡°Before that, why is the commoner acting like he is our leader? He doesn¡¯t even have any experience in politics. Do you think leading others is so easy?¡± Rhian silently scoffed at his comment. In his previous life, Rhian was one of the top aristocrats of his home planet, his title being Archduke. He had far more experience in these kinds of things than the newbies that were gathered here. But since he couldn¡¯t reveal any of that here, he decided to compromise. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to follow me, that¡¯s fine. Why don¡¯t we do this? There are two tasks at hand. One is to kill the monsters that are wandering the Academy. And the other is to find the person who let them in. We can split into teams and each can fulfil one of them.¡± ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s do that.¡± Luke nodded in agreement, not realising that he was still following Rhian¡¯s order. Rhian had observed Luke for the past few months. Luke was very competitive, especially when it came to him, and had a strong desire to prove himself the best. As expected, he took the bait when provided with the opportunity to come up with a plan himself. ¡°If you two are done fighting amongst yourselves, how about we start to discuss how to tackle the problem?¡± Hidde finally spoke up. ¡°Ah, yes. Sorry about that.¡± Rhian quickly apologised. Hidde was a D+ Rank, just one rank above them, but Rhian could feel incredible charisma from him, meaning he was not just some top student. He had the ability to lead people and the skills to back it up. Those two traits were rarely seen together, so Rhian was glad to have such a reliable ally. ¡°I would like to go search for the Fayde. I overheard the teachers saying that one of them still hasn¡¯t been found. It would be best to take care of it before someone gets harmed.¡± Rhian offered. ¡°Then I will go and catch the bastard who¡¯s behind all this!¡± Luke spoke up. ¡°All right. Rhian, I am sure you won¡¯t be needing much help with your part of the work, so I will team up with Luke. A traitor is the most dangerous thing we can have amongst us right now.¡± Hidde decided. So the Fayde team, headed by Rhian, and the Traitor Team, headed by Hidde and Luke, were formed. Priyanka and Rachel decided to join Rhian to distribute their manpower. The three were currently standing in the Academy gardens, thinking about how to track a monster that even their High-Ranking teachers weren¡¯t able to locate. ¡°Um, I don¡¯t know if this is helpful, but I know someone who might be able to help us.¡± Priyanka said, after a while. ¡°Hmm. Who are you talking about?¡± Rachel asked her. ¡°He¡¯s a friend I made recently.¡± She replied. ¡°But I am not sure if he will be willing to help us.¡± ¡°Is there a problem with him or something?¡± Rhian asked. ¡°He¡¯s a bit shy in using his powers in front of strangers.¡± Priyanka explained. ¡°If it¡¯s just that much, then I will convince him.¡± Rhian was ready to accept any idea now. Although he would never admit it, Rhian and Luke were quite similar in terms of competitive spirit. ¡°All right, but please don¡¯t force him or anything.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Rhian agreed to the condition. The three arrived at the student dorms. ¡°Does this guy live on the 25th floor? He must be really low in the student Rankings!¡± Rachel wondered aloud. Rhian was a bit skeptical as well. Although it was unfortunate, in this world, a person¡¯s Rank was directly related to how special their Skills and Abilities were and also how proficient they were at it, the ranking system had evolved so much. Unless a person intentionally hid their capabilities, the Rank would be an accurate measure. That''s why Rhian wasn''t sure how helpful this friend would be. Priyanka knocked on one of the doors. After a minute, the door slid open a bit, revealing a pale and scrawny kid. ¡°May I help you?¡± The boy nervously asked them. His eyes had such deep dark circles, that Rhian worried for a bit if he had garlic in his dimensional ring. ¡°Hey, Rohan!¡± Priyanka greeted him. ¡°Ah, Priyanka. What are you doing here?¡± Seeing a familiar face, Rohan open the door a bit more. ¡°Actually, we need your help.¡± Rachel spoke up. ¡°M-my help? I don¡¯t think I can help you with anything.¡± ¡°Rohan, can you please listen to us? You don¡¯t have to help if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Priyanka pleaded to him. ¡°...okay.¡± He said, after giving it a long thought. He swung the door open, inviting them in. To say the room was dreary, would be an understatement. Unlike Rhian¡¯s penthouse, which came equipped with its own kitchen, gym, and other facilities, Rohan¡¯s room was a small one-bedroom dorm with only an attached bathroom. His bed was pushed to a corner beside the closet. Facing it was a small wooden desk and chair. But the most peculiar thing was that all over his bed and walls, yellow paper strips had been stuck. Strange words were written on all of them in red. ¡°What are the talismans for?¡± Rhian asked. ¡°It¡¯s for keeping them away.¡± An almost inaudible whisper came out. ¡°Them? Them who?¡± Rhian asked. ¡°You guys can just sit on the bed.¡± Rohan ignored his question and pulled up the chair. ¡°So, what did you want to ask me, Priyanka?¡± ¡°You know how the Faydes invaded during the Mid Terms, right?¡± Priyanka started. If it was possible, the already gloomy room seemed to have gotten ever darker at the mention of the exam. ¡°How can I not?¡± Rohan replied in a lifeless tone. ¡°Because the exams were stopped mid-way, I wasn¡¯t able to hunt even one monster in the Dungeon. I think the Academy will just fail me this time.¡± ¡°Uh, well¡­ I am sure the marking scheme will be different than last time.¡± Priyanka flustered. ¡°So, what is this about the Faydes?¡± ¡°Uh, well you told me once about how your Skill was related to ghosts? I thought since Faydes were a phantom-type monster, maybe you could help us find it.¡± Priyanka asked him. ¡°I think you got that wrong. My powers allow me to see creatures that are on the astral plane, but I am not some sort of radar that can sense their locations.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Disappointed appeared in Priyanka''s dark eyes. ¡°Well, I might not be able to help, but I can ask around.¡± ¡°Ask around?¡± Rohan got up from his seat and leaned behind the bed where the talisman had been placed. He looked at them for a moment, before taking one of them off and folding it up. Suddenly the temperature of the room dropped. Rohan averted his eyes as if he had seen something unpleasant. ¡°Um, Rohan! What happened?¡± Rachel asked, feeling the chill in the air. ¡°I just summoned one of the ghosts nearby. Alexa might know where the Fayde is hiding?¡± It was then Rhian remembered something one of his classmates had told him about before. That there was a boy in their class who could see ghosts. Rhian hadn¡¯t been interested in it at that time. With the world of magic they lived in, seeing ghosts was probably one of the least unique abilities. Not to mention, seeing dead people was not something he was a fan of, considering he had already died once. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Rhian raised his hand. ¡°Not to shoot your idea down, Priyanka, but Faydes are creatures of the darkness, not the astral plane. It will be hard for a ghost to find it.¡± ¡°Actually, Alexa told me that the Fayde just popped up.¡± Rohan revealed. ¡°She found out its location so quickly? How?¡± All three crowded towards him. Rohan recoiled in discomfort from their explosive passion. ¡°Okay, back out, you two!¡± Priyanka pushed the others away, seeing the fear in her friend¡¯s eyes. ¡°Rohan, can you ask Alexa for the monster¡¯s location?¡± She asked him as gently as possible, remembering his introverted nature. ¡°Um, she says that she will tell you, but she needs something in return.¡± ¡°What does she want?¡± ¡°...Tea?¡± ¡°She wants a cup of tea?¡± Rhian asked in a confused nature. ¡°Why would a ghost want something to drink?¡± ¡°Obviously not that kind of tea, you idiot.¡± Priyanka shot him a condescending look. ¡°She wants to hear gossip. Rachel, do you know something juicy?¡± ¡°Something juicy¡­¡± Rachel fell into deep thought. Rohan raised his hand nervously. ¡°Um, Alexa wants to know something in particular.¡± ¡°She has something in mind? What is it?¡± Priyanka asked him quickly. ¡°Um¡­Can I say it in secret?¡± He shyly pointed out to Rachel. ¡°What is it?¡± Rachel leaned her ear towards him. As Rohan whispered something in Rachel¡¯s ears, her face got visibly red. "Wh-what? W-why does she want to know that? Wait, how does she even know about it in the first place?" Rachel grabbed Rohan''s collar, demanding answers. Priyanka quickly came in between the two. "Rachel, calm down. You are scaring him!" "But..." She protested, but her concerns landed on deaf ears. "Rachel, just answer the ghost so that we can get the location of the monster." She finally added. "Or do you want Luke to taunt us that we couldn''t even find a single monster, for the rest of our lives?" Although the concerned people themselves would never admit it, but the Top Rankers at the Star Academy hated to lose to one wonder. It was all to easy for Priyanka to push her buttons, especially since she knew Rachel for a long time. "...Fine. But if you ever tell anyone about this, I swear you won''t live to see the next day." She glared at Rohan. "Eek!" Rohan, who was shivering in a corner, violently nodded his head. After casting a glance at Rhian, she whispered in an almost inaudible voice to the ghost. ¡°Now, tell us where the damn Fayde is!¡± Rachel yelled at Rohan. Despite the scary look on Rachel¡¯s face, Priyanka shot a mischievous smirk at her friend. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Not a word, Priyanka!¡± Rachel shivered, her entire body turning red. ¡°Alexa said the Fayde is in the teachers¡¯ dormitory.¡± Rohan interrupted after a moment, avoiding Rachel''s eyes. ¡°Huh?¡± Their faces twisted in confusion, all three exchanging glances. Wasn¡¯t the teachers¡¯ dorm the worst place to hide in, with all the Heroes looking for it? It''s like seeking shelter in a wolf''s cave just to get away from the predators outside. "Are you sure that''s what she said?" Priyanka asked for a final confirmation. Rohan nodded his head. ¡°Let¡¯s think about it later. We need to go and find the Fayde first!¡± Rhian and the three rushed out of the building, heading toward their destination. Priyanka dragged the reluctant Rohan behind her so that the ghost could guide them. "BUT I DON''T WANT TO GO!!!" Rohan''s moans echoed throughout the campus. Following Alexa¡¯s directions, the three were now standing on the fourth floor of the teachers'' dorms. One of the doors was ajar. Rohan remained outside as the other three individuals entered the house. Inside, they found the professor lying still on the floor. ¡°Professor!¡± Rachel rushed towards the fainted Ray, but before Rhian could tell her to be careful, the entire room plunged into the darkness.
People often say, ¡°Fool me once, shame on you; Fool me twice, shame on me!¡± I was ready to crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment. Just minutes ago I had told Deus that I wouldn''t fall victim to the Fayde again. But here I was, standing in the middle of darkness, as soon as I stepped into my apartment. ''God, why are all these monsters attacking me?'' ¡°Hello?¡± I yelled out, only to be responded with silence. Even Deus was not beside me. Seems I was the only one invited to this space. ¡°Hello to you, too.¡± A whisper spoke in my ear from behind. I turned back, only to meet darkness. "Where are you?" I called out again. ¡°I am here, Ray.¡± This time the voice came from the front. A hooded figure stood a few feet in front of me. I took a step backward, reaching for my sword, only to find my dimensional ring gone. Instead, I clenched my fists. ¡°I guess you are the last Fayde!¡± ¡°Fayde? I am not my children. You can call me Nyx.¡± The mysterious woman politely introduced herself. ¡®Appraisal!¡¯
Name: Nyx Title: Mother of The Night Rank: B+ Skills:
  • Nightmare(B): The skill can bring the target¡¯s worst nightmares to life.
  • Darkness Manipulation(A): Allows the user to summon and manipulate the darkness according to the user¡¯s will. Also allows the user to teleport using the shadows.
  • Master of the Night(A): During the night, the user¡¯s skill jumps up by one sub-Rank, and the Stats change accordingly.
¡®A B+ Rank? What the hell? How did such a strong monster come out of its Dungeon and enter the Capital unnoticed?¡¯ Like in many novels, the world had several rules meshed into its existence. One of them was the fact that Monsters can only come out of a Dungeon during a Dungeon Rampage. But the Chaos Alliance was notorious for capturing monsters inside and smuggling them into the Capital City to cause chaos among the mundane citizens. But the highest level of monster that can go undetected by Heroes is C Rank. Beyond that, the mana emitted by the monsters would be too strong and cannot be hidden. And yet the monster in front of me was three sub-ranks above that threshold. It¡¯s a surprise that no one had noticed the breach in the defences yet. ''The only thing I can do right now was buy time. The monster''s Rank was too high for me to do anything. The Heroes in the Academy would surely come to the monster''s location now that it has started using its Skills..'' ¡°You do realise the moment you used your Skill to summon this dark space, your mana was detected by the Academy. Heroes will be swarming this place soon.¡± ¡°Of course, why wouldn¡¯t I know? I had been observing the Star Academy¡¯s workings while I was hiding.¡± ¡°Then why reveal yourself? You wasted all your hard work.¡± ¡°On the contrary! My real goal was to meet you!" The monster revealed. "It was a real ordeal for me to hide, not knowing when you would return." ¡°Meet me?¡± My senses were on high alert after the sudden revelation. ¡®Why would a monster want to meet me?¡¯ ¡°Your sponsor wanted me to say hi to you!¡± ¡®Sponsor? I had a sponsor-¡¯ Blood drained from my face as I realised who she was talking about. ¡°Are you talking about the one who sent me that message? Who is it?¡± I yelled at her, grabbing at the cloak covering her. Unfortunately, the piece of fabric began to crumble into dust as soon as it touched my fingers. ¡°My apologies, but I was only ordered to say hi to you. Until next time. Well, that is, if you survive past this year.¡± She bowed as she took her body disintegrated. Before I could check where she had escaped to, my eyes started to get heavy. The darkness soon engulfed me.
When Misa reached the crime scene, the monster had already escaped. She could feel its energy dissipating. In its place, four bodies were left behind, and one scared student hiding outside. The four appeared to have passed out, and Misa could feel their body temperature dropping. Soon, the healers reached the scene and began to heal the victims. ¡°Thank god we reached them before their temperatures dropped further.¡± The head healer commented. ¡°But, you know. I don¡¯t sense that monster on Academy grounds anymore.¡± Demons and monsters were creatures of destruction and thus were affiliated with the darkness element. Healers, who were affiliated with light, could easily sense when one from the opposing element was nearby. Since the strongest healer in the Academy said so, then the monster had truly left. One of the teachers came rushing to her. ¡°Miss Misa, we have checked everywhere. The monster¡¯s mana can¡¯t be sensed anywhere on the Academy grounds.¡± Misa nodded her head at the confirmation. ¡®But why did it leave so suddenly?¡¯ She pondered as she followed Ray and the students to the infirmary. Thankfully, unlike last time, it only took them a couple of hours to wake up. A groan escaped Ray¡¯s mouth as he came back to reality. ¡°...Misa? You are here?¡± ¡°Now this is embarrassing. You are probably the first professor in the history of the Academy to be beaten by Faydes twice.¡± ¡°That is so not fair.¡± Ray slowly sat up. ¡°Anyway, did you capture the monster yet?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, no. Looks like it ran away.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Ray pondered at her reply. After a moment, he spoke up. ¡°I think this monster wasn¡¯t a Fayde.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a Fayde?¡± Ray shook his head. ¡°It was a B+ Rank monster. It called itself Nyx.¡± ¡°B+ Rank!?¡± She couldn¡¯t believe it. Smuggling monsters into the Academy was next to impossible. But someone managed to not only bring in so many monsters during the Mid-terms, but a B+ Rank monster at that. ¡°Could it be that you were mistaken?¡± Misa asked for confirmation. Unfortunately, Ray shook his head. ¡°I am positive it was a B+ Rank. I think the Academy should raise its security for the time being.¡± ¡°I will notify the security team immediately. And I am glad everyone is safe.¡± ¡°Everyone? Were there any more victims other than me?¡± ¡°Yes. Rhian and a few other students were searching for the monster and got caught in its attack.¡± Misa explained. ¡°Thankfully, no one was hurt. But it is weird that the Fayde just ran away.¡± ¡°Yes, it is weird.¡± Ray¡¯s eyebrows frowned, as he thought something. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you rest for now? I will come back later.¡± ¡°Sure. Thank you for everything.¡± Now that interviewing Ray was over, it was time for the students. The three had been placed in a room opposite Ray''s. The three had already awoken when Misa entered the room. Rohan, who was beside them, got up. "Miss Misa, did the Professor wake up yet?" "He woke up just now." Misa informed them. Beside Rohan, the three were visibly fidgeting in their seats. "I am not going to scold you three if that''s what you guys are thinking." Misa told them. Their expressions immediately brightened up. "If you people don''t value your lives enough to keep out of trouble, then there is hardly anything I can do about it." Their expressions again dimmed. "Isn''t that a bit harsh? There were three us, against that D Rank Fayde." Rachel said. "Well, you guys are wrong. I just had a talk with Professor Ray and he informed me that the monster wasn''t a Fayde. It was a B+ Rank." "B+ Rank? How did such a strong monster get inside the Academy?" "I don''t have a clue. We will be investigating it." Misa said finally. "The Academy will soon be releasing a statement that the monsters have all been defeated. The specifics of the monster wouldn''t be revealed since we ourselves don''t have much knowledge on the matter. Needless to say, there won''t be a mention of you guys either, for obvious reasons." "Ok, ma''am!" The four chorused. "Finally, I wanted to ask you all. How did you guys find out the location of the monster? Even our best trackers weren''t able to find a clue about its whereabouts." The three looked at the guy beside them. "So, Rohan, you were the one who helped them?" She turned to the boy. "I suppose one of your ghost friends helped you?" "Ah, yes, ma''am." "May I ask, which one?" "It was a ghost named Alexa!" "Alexa Walker? I knew about her. She had the tracking skills of a bloodhound. Too bad, it didn''t keep her away from danger. Anyway, that is an amazing Skill you have. Make sure to use it wisely." Misa advised him, before leaving the room. As she exited, a bunch of first and second-year students entered the room. Misa''s eyes met a pair of green ones. "Have a good day, ma''am!" The second-year greeted her. "You too, Ophelia!" "Wow, you guys really messed up! Can''t even do such an easy task..." Luke''s voice project out, before the room''s door closed. After talking with Ray and the other students about the Fayde attack, Misa finally went back to her office. She sat down on her desk and opened up her laptop. She will have to report this incident to the Hero League. ¡®I just hope that the executives don¡¯t blame Ray since he has been entangled with the monsters twice now.¡¯ The stars were shining brightly by the time she sent her report. She decided to call it a day, before going to the infirmary. Ray was checking out at the reception when Misa reached the building. ¡°You are already leaving?¡± ¡°Yeh. The healers said nothing was wrong with my body or mana, so I could be discharged.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Should I drive you back home?¡± Misa offered. ¡°Oh, if it''s not too much trouble, can I ask you for another favour?¡± ¡°Sure, what is it?¡± ¡°Actually, I need to buy some clothes for an event. I was hoping you could drop me off at the shopping district.¡± ¡°Event? Oh, isn¡¯t the Aurum Guild having an anniversary party this week? I haven¡¯t bought clothes for it either. Why don¡¯t we go shopping together?¡± ¡°Well, sure then.¡± Ray accepted her company. And so, the two found themselves trying dresses in one of the famous boutiques in the shopping district. ¡®Wow. I don¡¯t say this often, but Ray is quite attractive.¡¯ As Ray tried on the various suits, Misa couldn¡¯t take her eyes off him. The Laxon couple was called the Most Beautiful Couple and their son had definitely inherited their beauty. Coupled with his good physique from sword training, Ray could very well be one of the most handsome Heroes on The Human Continent. Misa glanced at the various female staff and customers sneaking a peek at him, whenever he came out of the trial room to ask her opinion about his attire. ¡°Ray, since the Aurum Guild¡¯s anniversary party is supposed to be a ball, would you like to be my partner?¡± ¡°Partner?¡± Ray got startled at her offer. After giving it a bit of thought, he took a small bow and offered her his hand. ¡°Miss Amore, would you do me the great honour of accompanying me as my partner for the upcoming ball?" ¡°The pleasure is all mine.¡± She replied with a small laugh at the cringy-ness of their action, as she accepted his hand in the middle of the boutique. [news] Author: I would really love it, if you guys posted more reviews and comments about my series. Feedback is important to new writers like me!![/news] Chapter 30: The Laxon Family – Part 1 Soon, the day of the ball arrived. Various guests had already started arriving for the party. The staff members were frantically running around, trying to display their best performance. They had to since all the attendees today were famous figures in high society. Any mistakes would be fatal to their career. In the grand ballroom, stood many powerful and beautiful personalities. Some were conversing about recent politics, while others were indulging in alcohol. Glamorous dresses illuminated under the large chandeliers. Champagne beige tuxedos. Peacock blue gowns. Wine red skirts. But if you looked carefully, among all these unique outfits, there was one thing common to all. On all their persons, glittered shining gold. Some wore it in the form of ornaments. Some had golden threads sewn into their clothes. In the middle of the large hall, stood a large fountain. But instead of water or chocolate, what flowed inside was molten gold. Large golden lions surrounded the magnificent structure. It was clear for all to see that this celebration was unlike the others. But if one only looked deep enough, they would find that under all these blinding lights, not all the gold was glittering. ¡°Wow, the President really went all out for this party!¡± One waiter commented in the corner of the grandiose hall. ¡°I know, right? Do you think it¡¯s true?¡± Another asked. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You know. The fact that the Aurum Guild is going under!¡± He whispered after glancing around to make sure that nobody wasn¡¯t within earshot. ¡°Shh! If anybody hears you, we will both lose our lives.¡± He quickly covered his friend¡¯s mouth. ¡°What are you two doing here?¡± A manager suddenly came towards them. ¡°There are guests everywhere. Go attend to them.¡± Thankfully, it seems he hadn¡¯t heard about their discussion. The two waiters quickly scampered away to do their assigned tasks. ¡°Let¡¯s hope the worst doesn¡¯t come to pass¡­¡± The manager whispered under his breath, before returning to his post. As the last of the attendees were announced into the banquet hall, a black Audi R8 Spyder rolled in at the entrance gate. ¡°Looks like we are a little late.¡± Misa¡¯s voice contained a hint of arrogance, radiating main character energy as she gracefully exited the car. ¡°Thankfully the hosts haven''t arrived yet. It would have been bad manners.¡± I commented as I handed the keys to the valet. ¡°By the way, aren¡¯t you gonna enter with your family? You are a Laxon, too!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter much to me.¡± I extended my hand to her. "As a man, wouldn''t it be better to enter with a beautiful woman like you." Misa giggled at the compliment as we gracefully linked our arms before walking through the entrance. ¡°Announcing Misa Amore and Ray Laxon!¡± The commentator announced. All the eyes in the ballroom darted to the entrance door upon hearing two unexpected names together. To their surprise, standing at the entrance was a most unexpected duo. Ray looked like a modern aristocrat in his black tuxedo paired with a navy-blue shirt. A golden lapel chain adorned with a large sapphire hung from his collar, while a matching sapphire earring dangled from his left ear. With his nightly black silk gloves, his entire ensemble exuded a sense of refined elegance. Beside him stood Misa Amore, looking every bit the modern-day princess in her exquisite sea-green gown. The dress featured a captivating high-low hemline, flowing gracefully to the floor at the back while rising to just above her knees at the front. Completing her enchanting look was a pair of delicate golden glass slippers that adorned her dainty feet, reminiscent of the beloved fairy tale character Cinderella. Whispers erupted from various corners of the hall. ¡°Oh my, is that Misa? She looks beautiful as ever.¡± ¡°And is that the Ray Laxon beside her? I didn¡¯t know he was so handsome.¡± Said one. ¡°I know, right? I always thought him to be gloomy, but looks like he can be graceful too.¡± Complimented a second. ¡°Well, it is to be expected considering who his parents are!¡± Mused a third. As the two walked to the centre of the ballroom, none of them noticed the true feelings of the main character of their talks. ¡®Wow, that was unnerving.¡¯ I thought as I tried to calm down my shaky heart. Honestly, when Misa asked me to be an escort, I didn¡¯t give it much thought when I said yes. I had a lot going on in my mind at the time, about what the monster, Nyx, had said. Someone had intentionally brought me into this world, and from the looks of it, they seemed to be keeping an eye out for me. Though surprisingly, I wasn''t shocked at the new information. Or maybe, it wasn''t much of a shock, since I always thought that there must be someone who had sent me that text message. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Honestly, I was rather glad at the confirmation. It gave me hope that I can find them and make them send me back. ¡°You seem a bit distracted.¡± Misa whispered to me. ¡°Sorry! I had a lot on my mind.¡± I whispered back, as we moved through the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please? It is my pleasure to introduce to you the host of this evening''s ball, Heron and Lady Liliana Laxon." Entering the hall was the most beautiful couple I had ever seen. The man, looking in his early thirties, had navy blue hair and piercing blue eyes identical to mine. Walking beside him was a woman with midnight black hair and purple eyes radiating confidence. Her graceful body was draped in a sun-gold mermaid dress, and her beauty alone would have put the most beautiful Hollywood actresses to shame. A few steps later, another pair entered. The man looked in his early twenties, his features matching his father ahead. Beside him stood another beauty, a lady with reddish-pink hair and emerald-green eyes. Covering her hourglass figure was a stunning cocktail gown that looked as if the starry sky had been printed on it. Holding her hair together, was a beautiful golden comb, embedded with a ruby so red, it looked as if lava had frozen to shape it. But despite the undeniable beauty radiating off of them, I couldn''t shake off the uncomfortable tension that gripped me on seeing the four. Of course, I could understand where the sense of anxiety was coming from. The first pair consisted of Heron Laxon and his wife Liliana Laxon, who happened to be Ray''s parents. The second pair, however, was a bit more complex; Edward Martin, Ray¡¯s half-brother, was there with his mother, Rosamund, Heron¡¯s mistress. They were the Laxon family, and the four that had made Ray''s entire life a miserable hell. ¡°That is an awkward entrance.¡± Misa commented beside me in a low voice. My thoughts weren¡¯t different hers. Heron Laxon attended his grand function with both his wife and his mistress, as if he was displaying trophies. Not to mention the implications behind his actions. Having Edward walk behind him, instead of his legitimate son, he was showing to all who would be the successor to the Aurum Guild. ¡®What an idiot. This choice of his is going to drag the entire Guild down.¡¯ I am sure Heron was aware of the rumours behind his Guild. That was the reason why he had held such a luxurious party to display the Guild¡¯s power. But just like the League and everyone else, he had no idea that his successor would be the cause of the Guild¡¯s demise. ¡°I should go and say hi.¡± I politely took my partner¡¯s leave. I walked towards the centre of the hall, where Heron was socialising with the guests. ¡°Congratulations on the Guild¡¯s anniversary, Father.¡± I entered their conversation. ¡°Ah, Ray. You are here.¡± Heron looked at me with indifferent eyes. ¡°I was sent an invitation. Of course, I had to celebrate with my family.¡± I responded calmly to his cold eyes. ¡°I see you did. Was there something you wanted to ask me?¡± He asked me without any change in his tone. ¡°I was hoping to have some time with you later.¡± ¡°Come to my office after the party.¡± He replied before turning back to his guests, not sparing me another glance. ¡®Wow, I can clearly see why the original Ray was so timid.¡¯ As I walked back to Misa, a hand thumped me on my back. I turned to find a striking girl grinning at me. Black hair and blue eyes, she was wearing uncharacteristic short jeans and an off-shoulder crop top to the ball party. ¡°Hey there, brother!¡± Greeted Isabella Laxon, Ray¡¯s biological sister. Although she had inherited Liliana¡¯s looks, she had a very eccentric personality and was often referred to as the rebel of the family. ¡°H-hello there, Izzy. It¡¯s nice to see you.¡± I greeted my sister nervously. In Ray¡¯s memories, he was never happy when he was with his family. But he held quite a lot of affection for his little sister. Since Izzy and Ray were quite close, she might notice that Ray has had a few changes. ¡°Why are you so stiff with me? It''s been so long since we met!¡± Isabella wrapped her arms around me. Unsure of what to do, I hugged her back. ¡°By the way, what were you talking about with our father? You usually can¡¯t even look at him.¡± I froze up. Since I needed to talk with him urgently, I decided to ask for a meeting, but I never thought someone would think it was weird. ¡°I-i just needed to ask him something!¡± I replied. ¡°You know, you are acting a bit weird...¡± She glared at me with suspicion in her eyes. ¡®Crap. Now what did I do?!¡¯ I am sure my behaviour wasn''t that different from Ray''s. ¡°Are you by chance in your rebellious phase?¡± She gave me a wink as if she was a detective who had just found a clue. I just cringed at her. ¡°Don¡¯t you think I am a bit too old to be going through a teenage rebellion?¡± The excitement in her eyes dimmed. ¡°You are such a bore.¡± ¡®Ha. I am used to having a younger sister. Don¡¯t think I would fall for your cheap jokes.¡¯ ¡°Speaking of being a bore, I think I saw something really wild. Did you just come in with Misa Amore as your partner?¡± A mischievous smile tickled her lips. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had it in you, brother!¡± ¡°We just came as partners. Nothing else!¡± I firmly shut her down. But Izzy didn¡¯t back off. She poked my arm. ¡°Come on. We both know where this will head on later.¡± ¡°Shut it, you brat!¡± ¡®Gosh, are sisters like this in every world?¡¯ ¡°Alright! Alright! You finally brought a girl back home. Wouldn¡¯t want to kill the butterfly before it breaks from it''s cocoon!¡± She escaped, but not before giving me a final smirk. ¡°Ray!¡± Misa called out to me from behind. ¡°Ah, Misa. Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to leave you alone for so long.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You were talking with your family.¡± She flashed me a playful smile. ¡®She definitely heard all of it!¡¯ As the music changed, couples took the centre of the stage ready to dance. ¡°Would you like to join too?¡± Misa asked. ¡°I-I am not a good dancer.¡± ¡°Come on. It won¡¯t be that bad¡­¡±
Author''s Note: After writing this chapter, I realised that writing clothing descriptions is not for everyone. Still I tried my best. Here are a few links, if you want to see my references for the dress to get better understanding of the visual. CTTO. Chapter 30: The Laxon Family – Part 2 ¡°Can I take back my words?¡± Misa asked me not even a minute after our dance began. ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? I am not good at dancing.¡± I replied awkwardly, as our feet collided again. "Aren''t you the son of one of the largest Guild''s Head? I am surprised you never received education on dancing." "I mean I did..." ''Well, technically, Ray did. Though it probably won''t have helped much.'' Even in my previous life, I had two left feet. My nickname among my friends was ''Twinkle Toes''. A metaphorical tear escaped my eyes, as the memories of my dark past resurfaced. "Should I include dance lessons in our training?" Misa joked. "Please don''t!" I sighed. Once the song ended, we decided to head for the bar. The bartender handed us two champagne glasses. Thick fruity essence wafted into the air, I felt I could have gone drunk just from the smell. The amber-coloured drink in the tall glass was so sweet, I thought I was drinking honey. ¡®Oh! My! God! Money is amazing! I have never had such fine wine before.¡¯ ¡°Hmm. This is pretty good!¡± Misa commented beside me. ¡°But it''s not as good as Fairy Fizz.¡± ¡°Fairy Fizz?¡± I asked her, out of curiosity. What possible wine can be better than the one we were having right now? ¡°Yeah. There is this Dungeon near Aquilo City, called Jungle Bungle. The fruits harvested there taste heavenly. And the wine made from their grapes is out-of-the-world.¡± Misa closed her eyes as she reminisced about old times. ¡°I was fortunate enough to drink some at my brother''s birthday party. When the bottle was uncorked, the entire room was filled with a sweet smell. And the taste. It can only be called the nectar of gods.¡± I quickly closed my mouth before the droll could escape. ¡°I will have to get my hands on a bottle, then.¡± Misa shook her head. ¡°The grape harvest is very low. Only about 5,000 bottles are made every year. It will be very hard to get your hands on a bottle.¡± ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s really rare, huh?¡± While we drank a cocktail, out of the corner of my eye I noticed two women leaving the ballroom. ¡°Misa, I will be back in a minute.¡± I placed my glass on the table, following the two. ¡®Slap!¡¯ A loud noise met my ears as I entered the empty back garden. ¡°How dare you embarrass me at this party by wearing such vulgar clothes.¡± Liliana was yelling at Izzy in a corner of the garden. ¡°Right now with all the rumours floating around about the Guild, this is our chance to make up for it. Yet you insist on making a spectacle out of yourself." Liliana''s face had turned red in fury. "Due you know, because of these thoughtless actions of yours, it is costing me my position in the Guild.¡± She raised her hand again, ready to slap Izzy. "Mother!" I intervened, quickly intercepting her hand before it could strike Izzy''s face. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Liliana turned to face me. ¡°Ray? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I came to look for you, Mother.¡± I lied. "There seems to be some problem involving the management. The manager asked me to come and get you." ¡°Huh? This party has just started, and I can''t believe you people are already ruining it.¡± She looked at me in disdain. Finally, she turned back to Izzy. ¡°Either leave the party or go get changed into something decent.¡± She chastised her heading back to the hall. Izzy looked at her mother with apathetic eyes, as Liliana¡¯s silhouette disappeared into the building. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have lied for my sake. You will get into trouble¡± She spoke to me, still keeping an eye out for whether Liliana would come back to resume her criticism. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should be worried for me.¡± I held her chin, facing her head towards me. A long scratch travelled along the lengths of her cheek, possibly made from one of the rings Liliana was wearing. Blood was still oozing out. I took out a Healing Potion from my ring and trickled a few drops down on her face. Izzy flinched at the sting, as the Potion repaired the tear. ¡°Does she do that to you a lot?¡± I asked her. In Ray¡¯s memories, Liliana criticised her children over every little thing, but she had never once become physical with them. ¡°Usually, not that much. It¡¯s increased recently. She¡¯s under a lot of pressure now that her influence among the executives is declining.¡± Izzy explained, checking her cheek on her smartwatch''s camera. ¡°Good for her, I say. Maybe this will knock her off her high horse.¡± She turned to me. ¡°But I must say, I am surprised you talked back to her. You usually never do.¡± ¡°I am your brother. Of course, I will help you if you are in trouble.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Her gaze at me was filled with suspicion. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ever tell me?¡± ¡°Your position in the house isn¡¯t that much better, you know." I could see the sadness in her eyes. "And then you went and locked yourself away in your lab, so chances to meet were limited. I didn¡¯t want to ruin our little time together by complaining about her." "I would have still helped you if you asked me." Ray would have surely stopped his research if he found out what his sister was going through in the house. "You know, when you ran away to the Academy, I was really happy. I thought it was for the best. At least one of us finally got out of this wretched place.¡± ¡°You don''t need to stay here either, you know. You can come and stay with me.¡± Izzy just shook her head at my suggestion. ¡°Nah. Mom might have let you go, but she will never let me leave her. Her position within the Guild is shaking. She is probably going to get me engaged to the heir of some other Guild and then leech off of them.¡± ¡°Engaged? You aren¡¯t even 17 yet!¡± I was horrified, more so at the fact that a teenager was talking about it in such a serious tone. ¡°I doubt age is something that can stop her.¡± She sighed. Her eyes looked like she had already accepted her fate, different from the vigour they displayed when she first greeted me at the party. In my previous world, I had a sister much like Izzy. Full of passion, energy, and tomboyishness. I could never even imagine her going through something like this. ¡°It''s not that late! Should I help you out now?¡± I asked her. I was planning to ditch this family ever since I found myself in this world. There was no reason, I couldn''t help her either. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I will help you out if you want me to!¡± I said it to her again. ¡°I do want you to help me, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything you can do.¡± She eyes me doubtfully. "Mom will never let me leave willingly." ¡°You just leave that matter to me.¡± I patted her head. ¡°Don¡¯t touch my hair.¡± She dodged my hand. I extended my hand even more and messed it up. As she fixed her hair, a small voice left her lips. "Thank you! You know, I wanted to ask you for help before, but I didn''t want to add to your burden." I again messed up her hair. "What was that for?" Izzy pouted at me." "Big brothers are supposed to help their little siblings. If you get into any trouble, just tell me. I will do everything to help." A smile broke out on her face. I could see the excitement returning in her eyes, that had been sucked away by Liliana. ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the party for now. And stick with me so that Mother can¡¯t scold you again.¡± "If I stick with you, will you let me meet your girlfriend?" A mischievous sneer appeared on her lips. "She is not my GIRLFRIEND!" I pounced at her, ready to shut her mouth but Izzy sidestepped me. "Oh, and, I will definitely leave if you guys head to the bedroom..." Izzy eyes twinkled like a cat''s. I just sighed in defeat. ''I want a little brother next time.'' A silent prayer left my desperate body. Chapter 31 – What Happens After A Party – Part 1 ¡°I don''t see that date of yours anywhere.¡± A cherry voice approached Misa, as she stood alone. She looked down to find a cute girl looking at her. With her sky blue hair tied into two long ponytails and her big grey eyes, the 5-foot girl was the human definition of ¡®chibi¡¯. ¡°You look pretty as always, Selene!¡± Misa smiled down at her friend, wearing a deep blue frock. "You don''t have to butter me. I know the frock makes me look very young." Selene pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "It still matches you very beautifully!" Misa reassured her with a smile. Selene had been Misa''s close friend since childhood and they had been practically inseparable for years. They had even gotten into the same class in the Star Academy and applied together in the Hero League. But while Misa left her post at the League so that she could become a Professor at the Star Academy, Selene continued her work at the League. She had now even surpassed her childhood friend and raised her Rank to SS. But as they say, ¡°God is fair to all!¡±, she too had her own set of troubles. When the Era of Mana began, people¡¯s bodies underwent a major biological change. They lived longer and thus their bodies aged slower. For most Awakened, they would grow normally till they reached the end of their adolescence, usually around 17 or 18 when they awakened their powers, and then grew at an extremely slow pace. But fortunately or unfortunately for Selene, she received her powers when she was only 12 years old, stunting her growth. Because of this unpreceded event, she was stuck with the appearance of a middle school girl for the rest of her life. Thus, Selene developed a major inferiority complex about her height and child-like appearance. ¡°I see you aren¡¯t destroying buildings anymore, whenever your looks are mentioned.¡± Misa teased her. "You sure have grown." ¡°That happened one time.¡± Selene flared up at the mention of her dark past. ¡°I even paid for all the repairs later, didn''t I?¡± ¡°One time is literally all it takes.¡± Misa gave her a mischievous smile. When Selene had just joined the Hero League, people, envious of her powers, made fun of her appearance. But the jokes quickly stopped when Selene, in anger one day, destroyed an entire section of the League Headquarters. The entire society had laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation, but it had also set a foundation for everyone to know how scary she can be when angered. ¡°Anyway, why did you come to this party with Ray Laxon as your partner?¡± Selene coughed, changing the subject. ¡°He¡¯s quite attractive. What¡¯s the problem in wanting to be escorted by a handsome guy?¡± Selene just gaped at Misa''s reasoning. Not many people knew it, but Misa was quite a thirsty woman, highly influenced by those romance novels she reads every night. ¡°Listen, the problem is that your handsome guy is someone who is under suspicion for being involved with the Chaos Alliance.¡± Selene whispered to her. ¡°I already investigated him fully. I can promise you that he is, in no way, associated with them.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Even so, if even one person from the Laxon Family turns out to have joined them, you know what will happen, don''t you? The League will exterminate their whole family just to tie up any loose ends.¡± ¡°I know that all too well.¡± Misa sighed. She had worked in the League for a long while. Of course, she knew what will happen to Ray if the investigation results aren¡¯t favourable. Selene noticed the solemn expression on her friend¡¯s face and decided not to push the matter. ¡°Anyway, I read the recent report you sent to the League. How amazing, a student tracked a monster that even the Academy''s best professors weren¡¯t able to!¡± Selene was proud of the junior Heroes as an alumnus. ¡°It wasn¡¯t the Academy¡¯s fault. We pinpointed the monster¡¯s location many times, but whenever we reached its hiding place, it had already vanished. The monster must have some kind of teleportation skill.¡± Misa explained. ¡°I see, teleportation! That also explains how it could have gotten inside the City undetected.¡± As the two were discussing the different identities of the monster, a voice came from behind. ¡°Auntie!¡± A sigh escaped Misa¡¯s lips. ¡°Is that who I think it is?¡± Selene looked behind Misa''s back and nodded. Misa reluctantly turned around to find her trouble-making niece and her friends walking toward her. ¡°What are you doing here, Miyu?¡± Her voice was already turning cold. ¡°Of course, I came here to meet my favourite aunt.¡± Her niece replied cheerfully, ignoring the emotionless tone. ¡°...Favourite aunt, huh?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a bit too cold, Auntie?¡± Miyu asked her, awkwardly. ¡°Cold? Oh no, why would I ever be cold to my precious niece, who repeatedly went around chasing monsters even when I warned her multiple times.¡± ¡°Oh come on. Nothing happened to me, did it?¡± ¡°Nothing happened? Your friends got attacked by an unknown monster. You do realise that you could have been one of them, right?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Thankfully, the music was loud enough that nobody was able to listen in on the scolding. But, as the tension between them thickened, Selene was just stuck as a third wheel. As Misa continued to lecture her niece, someone tucked at Selene¡¯s sleeve. Miyu¡¯s friends motioned her to get out. Selene welcomed the opportunity with open arms, quickly sneaking away with the two girls. ¡°Wow. Thank you for getting me out, girls.¡± ¡°Ah, no problem. Anyway, I didn¡¯t realise Miss Misa could get so angry?¡± Kyla commented. ¡°Oh, please. She was even more hot-tempered during our school years.¡± ¡°That¡¯s surprising. She¡¯s always so prim and proper during classes.¡± As Selene told the two youngsters about their Academy life, the three wandered into the garden. ¡®Thump!¡¯ Selene bumped into someone. ¡°Oh, you are¡­¡± Selene noticed the person she had bumped into. ¡°Miss Selene! My apologies.¡± Ray apologised. Ray and his sister were returning to the hall. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s okay, Mr. Laxon. I was at fault as well.¡± As Ray was heading back, Selene hesitantly stopped him. ¡°Ah, Ray. I don¡¯t think you should go and meet Misa right now. She¡¯s a bit occupied at the moment.¡± ¡°Occupied?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah. She¡¯s scolding her niece.¡± ¡°You mean, Miyu? I guess she did get into trouble over the incident two days ago!¡± ¡°Incident?¡± Next to Ray, Isabella asked out of curiosity. ¡®Crap. I forgot there was an outsider here.¡¯ Immediately, silence dawned upon the group. ¡°Why did you guys get silent all of a sudden? That¡¯s suspicious!¡± Isabella pointed at Ray. ¡°That¡¯s not something kids like you need to know!¡± Ray answered, avoiding her eyes. ¡°Kid! I am already 17. I will be turning into an adult in a few months.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact you are a kid as well as an Unawakened.¡± ¡°But I will Awaken soon!¡± ¡°Then I will tell you when you do. Now, come let¡¯s go.¡± Ray dragged his sister back to the ballroom, as she kept complaining. ¡°Would girls like to get some drinks at the bar?¡± Selene asked. ¡°Yup!¡± The two students cheered, eager for some alcohol. Chapter 31 – What Happens After A Party – Part 2 It was close to 2 AM when the party finally came to a halt. After most of the guests had left, the ones who were too drunk to leave were guided to guest rooms to rest in. Even though everyone had gone to rest after the party, Heron still had many Guild affairs to manage. He was shut in his office, with his secretary, Ben, aiding him with all the matters. The Laxon Mansion exuded an air of grandeur, fitting for the home of the leader of the fifth-ranked Guild in the world. I found Heron''s office on the mansion''s first floor and knocked on the last door down the long corridor. The seven-foot-tall door was made of Elven oak, renowned for its revitalising properties. It was said to wash away a person''s exhaustion just by staying near it. ¡®Wow! He keeps a stamina stimulant in his office! What a workaholic!¡¯ ¡°Enter!¡± A deep voice called from the inside. It was finally time for me to leave the Laxon Family and cut off from their accursed destiny. As I entered the room, the door creaked open and revealed a spacious interior. Heron was seated at his desk, surrounded by towering piles of paper, while his mid-40s secretary was busy sorting through documents on the adjacent desk. The walls were lined with tall cabinets, presumably filled with even more files. ¡°Sir Ray?¡± Ben stood up in surprise. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Father asked me to come see him after the party.¡± I explained, turning towards Heron, who was concentrating on the computer. ¡®Appraisal!¡¯
Name: Heron Laxon Rank: SS SS Rank Title: Golden Alchemist Stats:
  • Strength 16.2
  • Stamina 16.3
  • Agility 16.2
  • Perception 16.8
  • Magic Power 17
  • Intelligence 7.8
  • Charm 7.3
Abilities:
  • Hand-to-Hand Combat(¡ï¡ï¡ï): Coordinates the body for easy movements and helps the user to use their body to fight more efficiently. Allows the user to easily learn basic martial art techniques. As mastery increases, it will allow the user to subconsciously dodge dangers. [Advanced Level]
  • Brahma Sword Art (¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î): A sword art that was created to create. With each swing, the user can materialise their mana. Upon mastery, the user will be able to materialise mana into their surroundings and change the terrain temporarily. [Intermediate Level]
Skills:
  • Midas¡¯ Touch(S): Allows the user to turn whatever they touch into gold temporarily. The more mana is used, the longer the spell lasts. The Skill works on both organic and inorganic objects.
  • Gold Manipulation(B): Allows the user to manipulate gold in the vicinity.
  • Golden Touch(A): Allows the user to use gold to heal other people. The Skill can even revive a person from near-death.
Suitable Class: Mage Mana Compatibility:
  • Earth: 100%
  • Light: 90%
¡®An SS Rank, huh? His death will be a loss of human resources!¡¯ ¡°You are here already!¡± Heron asked me, without looking at me. ¡°What were you going to ask me during the party?¡± ¡°I have a request from you. I want to leave the Laxon family.¡± ¡°S-sir Ray! What are you suddenly talking about?¡± Ben was visibly confused about my decision. Even Heron finally looked up at me upon hearing the unexpected request. ¡°You want to abandon your privileges as a Laxon? Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like staying in this family any longer.¡± I replied. ¡°Fine. Do as you wish!¡± Heron said after a final thought. ¡°Ben, send him the documents later!¡± He went back to review the documents on the screen. I can only stare at the man in disgust. His son just asked to leave the family, and his only response was to send over the documents. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Heron still gave his full attention to his work. ¡°Why are you doing this to me-, no, to Ray Laxon?¡± I asked him the one question that had been dwelling on my mind ever since I saw Ray¡¯s memories. Heron frowned at the sudden change in my tone of speech. He still replied. ¡°What are you suddenly talking about? Didn¡¯t I already grant your request?¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Your attitude! You always speak as if you are talking to some stranger. Ray is your son, for God¡¯s sake.¡± ¡°You are getting quite expressive all of a sudden! Let me ask you a question, does merely sharing blood make you my son?¡± Heron was asking the strangest questions with an indifferent voice. ¡°Your mom and I had a political marriage. My deal with her was that we give each other only what we wanted. I never asked for a son, so I never thought Liliana would have one.¡± ¡°Are you, by any chance, saying that I am not your son?¡± Heron shook his head. ¡°Liliana cares too much about her reputation to give birth to a bastard. Not to mention, you look too much like me. I am just saying, since I never asked for a son from her, I have no obligations to act as your father.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you just running away from your responsibility? Ray did everything to be acknowledged by you. He even sacrificed so many years to make those potions for you. Yet you threw away all his hard work in the garbage without even sparing it a glance.¡± ¡°Why do you keep talking about yourself in third-person? Also, I never asked you to prove yourself. You could have just gone and partied every day, spending away the Laxon fortune, and I would have still been content with it. I just didn''t want you to trouble me.¡± ¡°I see. I guess you never wanted to be Ray¡¯s father, after all. Since you have no interest in Liliana¡¯s children, I can take Isabella with me, can''t I?¡± ¡°Isabella? She¡¯s still a minor, you know!¡± He explained, pondering over the legal matters. ¡°I will be her guardian, then.¡± ¡°Fine. I will send her papers as well. But let¡¯s see how you take her away from your mother. I might not like Liliana very much, but I have stayed with her for the past 35 years. She¡¯s not one to let go of things she obsesses over. In her eyes, your sister is the perfect doll.¡± ¡°I will deal with that myself.¡± ¡°Then I bid you good luck!¡± Saying his final thoughts, Heron went back to his work. I remember reading somewhere, ¡°Hate is better than indifference. Because hating someone means you acknowledge their existence.¡± Only now I realised how hurtful those words were. To Heron, his and Liliana''s children were nothing more than uninvited guests in his family, since they were not a part of his deal. Whatever these guests in his family would do, it was something that his servants had to take care of, so he decided to distance himself from them. ¡°Goodbye, Sir Heron!¡± As I left the office, an unexpected person approached me. ¡°Hey there, older brother!¡± Edward greeted me. ¡°What a coincidence! Meeting you outside Father¡¯s office like this.¡± In my memories, Ray always cowered in front of his younger brother. But in my eyes, this guy was nothing but a piece of unrecyclable trash. Since we both were similar in height, I instead looked straight into his eyes. ¡°Coincidence? Didn¡¯t you come running here after hearing I was visiting him?¡± I countered calmly. ¡°Oh my, was it that obvious? Well, I suppose I did come here way too soon.¡± A huge grin burst on Edward¡¯s lips. ¡°Okay, then, tell me! How did you feel when I accompanied Father to the Anniversary Party, instead of you? Huh? Did you go and complain to him about it?¡± ¡°I am not pathetic like you, Edward! Why would I need to go and complain to him?" I returned his insults. "You are the one who runs to him begging for things since you feel inferior to me due to my legitimacy.¡± ¡°Me? Inferior? To a C+ Rank like you?¡± Hostile A-Rank Aura started to swirl around us, but I didn¡¯t back down. I released my own Aura. Unfortunately, my Aura was three sub-ranks below his, and I could quickly feel myself getting oppressed by his aggressiveness. Just when my knees were about to buckle up, the office door opened, and Edward¡¯s Aura disappeared. Heron stood behind me, as I panted for breath. ¡°Edward, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°Oh, Father! I came to meet you.¡± His hostility was long gone, replaced by a look as if had done something for his father to be proud of. ¡°Oh, you did? Why don¡¯t you come inside? Ben will get us some tea.¡± As Edward passed me, he whispered to me, low enough that Heron wouldn¡¯t hear anything. ¡°Fuck your legitimacy!¡± ¡°By the way, Father. Mom was very disappointed, you didn¡¯t escort her to the ball.¡± ¡°Is that so? I will have to make it up to her later.¡± As Heron happily welcomed Edward into his office, I can¡¯t help but look at the two in disgust. ¡®Appraisal.¡¯
Name: Edward Martin Rank: A Status: Demonic Seed Absorption: 79% (7 Weeks and 3 Days Left) Stats:
  • Strength 10.2
  • Stamina 10.3
  • Agility 10.2
  • Perception 10.8
  • Magic Power 10.4
  • Intelligence 5
  • Charm 6.8
Abilities:
  • Hand-to-Hand Combat(¡ï¡ï¡ï): Coordinates the body for easy movements and helps the user to use their body to fight more efficiently. Allows the user to easily learn basic martial art techniques. As mastery increases, it will allow the user to subconsciously dodge dangers. [Intermediate Level]
  • Brahma Sword Art (¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î):
A sword art that was created to create. With each swing, the user can materialise their mana. Upon mastery, the user will be able to materialise mana into their surroundings and change the terrain temporarily. [Intermediate Level] Skills:
  • Gold Manipulation(B): Allows the user to manipulate gold in the vicinity.
Suitable Class: Swordsman Mana Compatibility:
  • Earth: 100%
  • Fire: 100%
  • Demonic Darkness (Manifesting)
¡®So that guy already has a Demonic Seed inside! Now there¡¯s nothing that''s going to stop him from turning into a fugitive.¡¯ Demons and monsters are creatures of darkness and destruction. Sometimes Heroes believe that they deserve more power than they currently have. Demons attack this weakness and bewitch such Heroes into forming a bond with them, much like what Spirits and Spiritualists have. To finalise the bond, Demons have their Hero counterparts swallow a Demonic Seed. This Demonic Seed, a highly condensed ball of demonic energy, is slowly absorbed into the body of the Hero and adapts their body to the demonic energy. This process can take anywhere from a few months to an entire year, depending on the compatibility with the Demon. Unfortunately, there is no way to know who has a Demonic Seed inside them, and even when they completely transform into a Fallen, it''s hard to recognise them if the person is good at hiding their mana. ¡°I hope you rot in hell, Edward Martin!¡± I made a wish before leaving the office. Chapter 32: The Aftermath – Part 1 Now that I had finished dealing with Heron, Liliana was left. I didn¡¯t know much about Liliana and her relationship with Izzy, but there was one thing I can use to my advantage. Her declining position among the executives of the Aurum Guild. I left Heron¡¯s floor and arrived at the third floor, where Liliana¡¯s office and living quarters were. Liliana¡¯s floor was quite luxurious, to put it mildly. Various sculptures and jewelled ornaments decorated the entire corridor. I peeked inside one of the rooms, only to find dozens of sparkling dresses displayed inside. Another room was filled with purses, while a third displayed footwear. ¡®Wow! Liliana is quite materialistic, isn¡¯t she?¡¯ Though, seeing this only helped me become confident in executing the plan I had in mind. Liliana¡¯s office door was almost as grand as Heron¡¯s. Intricate designs adorned its surface, made by fusing the wood with molten gold. Even someone with no class like me could see how refined and elegant her taste was. Today was the second time I knocked on such exquisite doors. ¡°Who is it this time?¡± A cranky voice came from behind the door. As I took a step inside, a strong scent drifted past my nose. Its owner was sitting on a throne that looked like something Queen Cleopatra would sit on while ordering her subjects. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± A frown appeared on Liliana''s face when she saw who had entered her office. ¡°Are you here to apologise?¡± ¡°Apologise? Why would I be here to apologise to you?¡± I asked her in confusion, as I took a seat opposite her. ¡°Such a shameless child. Didn¡¯t you lie to me in the garden? Apologise for lying to your mother.¡± Seeing her display such arrogance on that stupid throne left me speechless for a moment. ¡°Wow, a bystander would think that you are graciously forgiving me for some heinous crime I had committed against you.¡± ¡°Lying to your mother is a crime.¡± ¡°You were going to hit Izzy just for wearing jeans to a party.¡± Liliana slammed her knuckle on her desk. ¡°Do you think any respectable family would accept her if she keeps behaving like the vulgar little thing she is?¡± ¡°Are you actually going to get her engaged?¡± I looked at her in shock. ¡°Of course, not right now.¡± Liliana scoffed at me. I sighed in relief, but her next words repulsed me to the core. ¡°I will get her engaged when she Awakens. Nobody is gonna take a useless girl, much less an indecent little thing like Isabella.¡± She noticed my gaze toward her. ¡°What? I have started losing my influence among the board members. The best that girl can do for me is to help me make ties with another well-reputed Guild and increase my influence.¡± I had so many things I wanted to say to this woman, but I remembered how Liliana treated Izzy during the banquet. I am sure any criticism I give to the woman in front of me, she would take it with a grain of salt. Not to mention, if I anger her, she might refuse to let go of Izzy. ¡®I can¡¯t let her stay with this family when they are fated to be executed.¡¯ ¡°You do realise whatever you are planning is bound to fail, right?¡± I revealed it to her. ¡°Fail? Why would it?¡± Suspicious eyes glared in my direction. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how bad the rumours are about the Guild? People are saying we might be associated with the Chaos Alliance!¡± ¡°Those are just rumours.¡± Liliana became defensive. ¡°The Aurum Guild is still powerful.¡± ¡®Hmm. Judging from her reaction, it seems she has thought about this too. I just need to push her a bit¡­¡¯ ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the rumours floating around. No smart Guild would make ties with you under such conditions.¡± I expressed my opinion. ¡°It will be a while before the rumours go away, so you definitely won¡¯t be able to use Izzy as a card at the moment.¡± ¡°I suppose you are going somewhere with this? Cause I doubt you came here just to piss me off.¡± I could see Liliana''s eyebrow twitching in annoyance. ¡°I want you to give up your parental rights for Izzy.¡± I told her my aim. A scoff escaped Liliana''s lips. ¡°What? Are you stupid? Even if, as you pointed out, I won¡¯t be able to use Isabella immediately, she is still someone I can use in the future. Why in the world would I give up my authority on her.¡± ¡°Because I can do something for you, that can be of immediate help.¡± I threw the bait in. ¡°You? The legitimate son of the Laxon family who failed in securing his position as the heir?" Liliana scoffed at my offer. "Tell me, my useless son, what can you do for this darling mother of yours?" ¡°Aren¡¯t you and Edward in a power dispute, currently?¡± I set my plan into action, ignoring her stinging remarks. Liliana again stomped her fist on her desk. ¡°Don¡¯t mention that cur to me. Just because Heron has his back, he thinks he¡¯s such a big shot. Going about doing anything he wants. I tell you, once I get my hands on the documents of his illegal businesses, I am going to expose him to the world and then drag him to his knees.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you both own about 18% of the shares of the company? I can sell you the 6% of the shares that I own. Wouldn¡¯t that give you an edge over Edward?¡± Liliana¡¯s greedy eyes pondered over my offer. ¡°24% of the Aurum Guild¡¯s shares. That would make me the second-largest shareholder after Heron.¡± ¡°And you would have more rights on the decisions made about the Guild as well.¡± I completed her thought. ¡°Do you only just want me to sign over my parental rights for this? You would be giving up your stake in one of the biggest Guilds on the Human Continent!¡± Liliana stared at me as if she couldn''t believe how stupid I would be to do that. ¡°Yes. That is enough for me.¡± Anyway, once the Guild is ruined, those shares will be useless. It will be best to take convert them into cash right now, when the Guild stock price is still high. Once the transactions were completed on both sides, I stood up. As I was about to leave, Liliana called out to me, ¡°If only you were this smart before. The Guild would have been in your hands and not Edward¡¯s.¡± I decided to not pay attention to her last remark. When I left the room, another surprising guest was waiting for me. ¡°Izzy! Why are you here?¡± ¡°I heard you were visiting Mother.¡± Despite her determined face, her eyes were full of sadness. ¡°When you said, you will take me away, I didn¡¯t realise you would do it so quickly.¡± ¡°I am sorry I didn¡¯t tell you. I should have discussed it with you beforehand!¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay!¡± Izzy eyes were looking down at the floor. She didn''t want her brother to see the tears that were forming in her eyes. Honestly, she wasn¡¯t sad about the fact that Ray had acted without telling her. She was sad that her mother so quickly signed over her rights as a parent, just to get some stupid stocks. It just made it clear what Liliana actually thought of her children. When Ray first offered to take her in, she felt the slightest bit conflicted. No matter how bad of a mother she was, she was still her mother. She didn''t want to cut ties with her family. But this made it clear to her. Liliana never thought of her as family. ¡°Seeing how quickly you cut off all ties with the family, did you come to the party today for this reason?¡± Izzy asked me, shaking off her disappointment. ¡°I did!¡± I confirmed her thoughts. ¡°Does this have something to do with those rumours about the Guild?¡± Izzy asked me. ¡°Izzy, you are still young. You don¡¯t need to know about this.¡± ¡°I am not a kid, you know!¡± ¡°I am not saying this because you are too young to handle the information. I am saying this because as a minor, you have a chance to get away from matters involving adults. You won''t be held responsible if you are oblivious to these matters.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to get away from it.¡± Desperation and determination shone in her eyes. ¡°Then please wait until I am strong enough to protect you from it.¡± Izzy decided to back off for now. ¡°It¡¯s late. Let¡¯s go to sleep for now and talk tomorrow.¡± Chapter 32: The Aftermath – Part 2 Since Ray had decided to stay at the dorms in the Academy, his room at the mansion had been cleared out. Instead, I was shown to a guest room to rest in. An hour later, after I took a shower and was getting ready for bed, someone knocked on the door. I opened the door to find a servant waiting. ¡°Sir Ray, Master has sent this for you.¡± The servant bowed and handed me a folder. I opened the file to find documents about giving up on the Laxon Family name. ¡°Master told me to tell you that Lady Isabella has also received a similar document along with one from Madam Liliana.¡± ''Heron got the documents ready so quickly?! That''s suspicious!'' As I read the contents, I could see that the documents were written down flawlessly. They weren''t something that could be processed in just one hour. Still, I signed the papers and handed them back to the servant, who take back the file and turned back without so much as a bow. ''Ho! So since I am no longer a member of the Laxon Family, you won''t even show me respect?'' I was once reminded how little Ray was respected in this household. I was feeling a bit guilty that I went against the original Ray''s wishes and cut ties with the family, but now I was glad I got both myself and Izzy out of this toxic house. As I lay on the bed, relief and anxiety washed over me. I was glad that things had gone according to my plan. But now I wondered what will happen after this. Like in all fantasy novels, this world will soon go through major changes, so that the protagonist can grow and face new challenges. I had an unpleasant feeling that whoever the sponsor Nyx mentioned is, they would push me right into the middle of all the chaos. ¡®I wonder if I will be able to survive in this world!¡¯ I worried about my future plans, but soon exhaustion took over and I greeted the darkness. ¡®Ding! Ding! Ding!¡¯ I woke up to the sound of my smartwatch blowing up with notifications and missed calls. ¡°Who the hell is trying to call me this early in the morning?¡± In my half-asleep state, I went through my chats with half-closed eyes. Most of the messages were from the professors of the Academy as well as some unknown numbers. ¡®Professor Ray, we heard the news!¡¯ ¡®Is the news article from the morning true?¡¯ ¡®Professor Ray, are you okay?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t understand what news they were talking about. As I surfed the internet, my eyes shot open as I quickly got up on the bed to check the article I had just swiped.

"Aurum Guild Head Heron Laxon disowns son, Professor Ray Laxon, after grand anniversary party!"

"Aurum Guild''s grand celebration ends in family drama: Ray Laxon ousted from Guild by his father!"

"The rift within Aurum Guild: Heron Laxon cuts ties with son, Professor Ray Laxon, in a shocking move!"

There were already articles up about me leaving the Laxon Family when I had signed the documents only a few hours ago. But what shocked me, even more, were the articles after that.

"Secrets revealed: What led to Ray Laxon''s expulsion from Aurum Guild by his father, Heron Laxon?"

"Why did Heron Laxon disown his son, Ray Laxon, after the Aurum Guild''s anniversary party?"

¡°That bastard! No wonder he agreed to my proposal so quickly. He was aiming to pin all the blame of the rumours on me.¡± This was the reason why Heron sent me the documents so quickly yesterday. He probably invited me to this anniversary party so that he could stick all the rumours on me and then cut me off. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡®I guess I should be thankful that Izzy isn¡¯t mentioned anywhere!¡¯ As I was reading through the various articles, a knock appeared on the door. I quickly got up to open the door. Izzy was standing on the other side. ¡°I see you are awake, Brother! Did you read the news?¡± Izzy asked me. Her face was more relaxed now. The gloominess from last night''s events was nowhere in sight. ¡°I was just going through them.¡± I replied. ¡°I am guessing you saw them as well.¡± ¡°I did! My friends have been calling me since dawn to ask if it was true. Guess Father didn''t tell the reporters I left the family too!¡± I was surprised that Izzy realised who was behind everything so quickly. But, I guess when you are a part of such a big organisation, politics become familiar to you. ¡°Oh my, oh my! Look who¡¯s here!¡± A familiar voice boomed across the hallway. Edward waved at us, a wide grin plastered to his face. ¡°RAY, My MAN! I didn¡¯t know you were going to give me such an amazing gift. You kicked yourself off from the family just for me?¡± Edward mocked me in a sweet voice. ¡°If you had told me this last night, I won''t have attacked you.¡± ¡°Why, you! I will punch you out of existence.¡± Izzy was ready to swing at Edward but I held her back for her safety. Edward was way stronger than both of us. Edward just scoffed at her. ¡°What can an Unawakened brat like you even do to me? Rather than worrying about me, worry about yourself. This brother of yours is suspicious of colluding with The Chaos League. Guess he couldn''t get over his jealousy that I am better than him.¡± ¡°The Chaos League? What bullshit are you talking about?¡± Izzy was red from anger, but I still held her back. "Ray is far better than you will ever be, you bastard." ¡°Those articles are nothing but speculations, Edward. ¡± I interrupted her, calmly responding to his taunts. ¡°The Hero League isn''t dumb enough to convict someone of associating with the Alliance based on mere rumours. And we all know, there is only one person in the Laxon Family who is going to get caught.¡± Edward narrowed his eyes. ¡°What are you trying to imply?¡± I just smiled at him. ¡°Nothing! I hope the Aurum Guild flourishes in your capable hands for a long time.¡± I took Izzy¡¯s hand. ¡°Come, Izzy. We don¡¯t need to associate with these people. They aren''t family.¡± I closed the bedroom door, as Edward still looked at me with suspicious eyes. ¡°Anyway, Izzy, did you get the things you needed? We will be leaving today.¡± Izzy nodded. ¡°I packed everything last night.¡± ¡°Okay. Let me freshen up first, then we will leave.¡± As the articles about me were spreading throughout the Human Continent, my car rolled into the Indigo Road.
¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Executive Rock yelled at Misa, as she stood in front of the Executive Board of the Hero League. ¡°You informed us that Ray Laxon had no ties with the Chaos Alliance, yet such articles have been up since morning.¡± ¡°I can assure you, Sir, I have fully investigated Ray Laxon, and he is, in no way, affiliated with the Alliance.¡± Misa calmly responded to her superior. ¡°Then how do you explain the articles that have been spreading.¡± ¡°Come now, Executive Rock, those articles are vague at best.¡± Selene interrupted them with a bright smile, placing a hand on Rock¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Why are you blaming Misa for them?¡± Rock was the strongest Tanker on the Human Continent, his title being ¡°The Impenetrable Shield¡±. Like all Tankers, who are responsible for defence, Rock had a strong and rough appearance, with his almost 7-feet height, buzz-cut hair, and various scars on his body. But despite his large physique and having the same SS Rank, he quickly became cautious in front of the tiny Selene. ¡°You know as well, that in yesterday¡¯s party, Misa was escorted by Ray Laxon. That is why, there is reason to believe that the investigation may be biased.¡± Rock¡¯s voice was still loud, but he was nowhere as aggressive as before. Selene glared at Rock. ¡°Misa has been with the Hero League for many years. She knows how important this investigation is. Do you seriously think she will try to protect a Fallen?¡± Misa spoke up. ¡°Sir Rock! I understand where your suspicions are coming from. But I assure you, my investigation was fair.¡± At the head of the table, Rufus spoke up. ¡°Misa, do you promise to stand by your words?¡± She nodded at the Head. ¡°Then the discussion is over.¡± Since the League Head decided to trust Misa¡¯s words, none of the executives could argue. ¡°But, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that someone inside the Aurum Guild has joined the ranks of the Fallen. Speed up the investigation on Heron Laxon.¡± With the final order given, all ten Executives, except the Head, quickly left the meeting room. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Misa. I know you wouldn¡¯t conduct an unfair investigation.¡± Selene reassured her friend. ¡°I know. I am just a bit worried.¡± As Misa worried about Ray, Selene could speak nothing to reassure her. Chapter 33 : The Realms Outside – Part 1 Tartarus. It was the first home of the demons and also the planet where Darkness, the element of destruction was born. Sulphur-red clouds drifted in the dark sky, while the ground below had a red tinge to it. When the demonic race was fairly young, there had been talks about whether Tartarus had such dark energy because demons lived here or if demons were such powerful Darkness users because they lived in the Darkness-ridden Tartarus. But instinctively, demons were creatures who loved to destroy and soon stopped thinking about such things. Eventually, fights within the Race began, until the strongest demon emerged from their Ranks. To honour his strength, the demons began referring to him as the Demon King. From the countless demons he had fought, the Demon King selected four demons, their strength being second only to the King himself. He elevated their status to that of Dukes and provided them titles. Death. Famine. War. Conquest. The Dukes spread themselves on the four corners of the Tartarus. Mobs of demons followed them and established their unique colonies all over Tartarus. Currently, Nyx was passing through the market of a town in the Duchy of Death. Although the demons detested light, the town was still brightly-lit, thanks to the red fireflies that buzzed everywhere. In the centre of the town square stood a large fountain. Brimstone water sprayed around, as demons danced below it. Around the structure, many stalls were bustling with customers. Some were selling weapons, while others were selling potions. Some even sold different monsters as slaves. Since the demons of Death Duchy were famous for their brutality, various fights erupted around the stalls as the customers fought for the items. Nobody even attempted to stop them and instead, the demons around them cheered for a winner, as if they were witnessing a festival. Seeing this, nobody would believe that the Demons were currently in the middle of war right now. Well, it didn''t matter anyway. In the end, it will be the Demons who win. Out of the 25 planets in the universe, the Demon King and the Dukes had already taken over 20 of them. Out of the remaining 5, long wars were already being fought on 4 of them while the remaining 1 was undergoing the final preparations for war. She couldn''t wait until the entire universe was ridden with the power of Darkness. As Nyx passed through a pub, two drunkards slammed against her shoulder causing her hood to slip off. Her dark purple locks, which she had bundled up inside the cloak as part of her disguise, gently flowed down. "Hey, hey, little girl. You can''t just slam against us, you know." One of them yelled at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. If this scene had taken place on Earth, one would have thought that two human thugs were harassing a young lady. Well, that is if you ignored the tiny details that differentiated humans and demons, such as the two horns poking out of their forehead and their blood-red irises. Usually, demons went right into violence if they had to solve any sort of dispute. But today Nyx was in a pretty good mood, so she decided to give these lowborns a chance. "If you take your hand off my shoulder right now, I will let you leave with your life." She gave them a warning. "Huh? Do you think a weakling like you can do anything to me?" Angered by the woman''s words, the demon raised the bottle in his hand, ready to strike her. Suddenly, blood started to drip on his face. The man didn''t realise what was happening, but his partner started screaming, as he scrambled back out of fear. The man looked up to find that his hand had been cut off from the wrist. The action had been so swift that even his nerves were delayed in registering the pain. As he was about to let out an anguished scream, he met Nyx''s eyes, forcing him to swallow down the pain. "I was planning on enjoying a peaceful walk, but now you guys ruined it." Two tall black wings appeared on her back, as she took to the skies. ¡°I guess I should go back to the castle now.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. In the alley, she had left, the two finally realised how close to the jaws of death they just were. "Let''s get away from it quickly." The two quickly scrambled inside the alley, unaware of the shadows squirming behind. Overlooking the town from a corner stood a large castle, straight out of mediaeval times. The castle was made from stone and black marble, complete with its own moat filled with snakes and crocodiles. Despite being its owner for many years, Nyx still had no idea why the architect had added that useless structure. ''Any demon, that is strong enough to kill me, would just fly in from above. Was it made for aesthetic purposes?'' She wondered, as in flew into the entrance hall of the castle. ¡°Welcome back, Mistress.¡± Her two maids greeted her at the door. They were twin sisters with straight jet-black hair and red eyes. Their horns were still small stubs, showing they were quite young for demons. ¡°Hello, Kit. Hello, Kat. I believe there weren¡¯t any problems while I was away.¡± Nyx asked, handing them her cloak. ¡°There weren¡¯t any complications in the castle¡­¡± Kit started. ¡°But Sir Nero is waiting for you in the guest room.¡± Kat ended. ¡°Nero? Why is that moron coming into my castle when I am not here?¡± She was already tired from her trip to Earth. She did not want to deal with some useless idiot right now. ¡°Just tell him I won''t be back until tomorrow and tell him to leave.¡± Nyx instructed her maids. ¡°But, Mistress¡­¡± Before the two could continue, something whished past the two, drilling a hole into the wall behind them. ¡°What, Nyx! Too proud to even see me now?¡± A small voice called out to her. Flying above the grand staircase, was a small boy. With his angelic-white hair and blood-red horns, he would have looked like the purest little devil in the world. But that nasty little mouth ruined the image. If only she could cut his tongue out! ¡°What do you want, Nero? Make it quick.¡± ¡°I heard you went to visit Earth. Did you go to curse someone?¡± A sneer spread on his face, as he looked at her with curious eyes. ¡°I went there on a job. And anyway, why would I want to curse anyone? That¡¯s a waste of mana.¡± Nyx rolled her eyes at his comment. Disappointed flashed across his eyes. "Oh come on! I thought you were finally going to have some fun." ¡°Fun? Just looking at you tells me why you should not curse stupid humans.¡± She mocked him, pointing out Nero¡¯s childish appearance and his weak C Rank Aura. Unlike most races, where one¡¯s Rank was determined by the average of their Stats, the Demon race¡¯s power and Rank were also determined by the number of hearts they had. E Ranks had one heart, D Ranks had two, C Ranks had three, and so on. Nero was originally a B+ Rank Demon like her, but a few years ago, he gave up one of his hearts to fulfil the wish of his contracted Fallen and curse someone. This price was the reason why Demons rarely cursed someone, as it would lead to a significant drop in the demon''s power. ¡°Oh, please, I will get my heart back soon. The Hero I cursed is already on Death¡¯s door.¡± ¡°Still! Is it truly worth it to lose a part of your powers for so long? Not to mention, you can¡¯t even raise your Rank while your Curse is in effect!¡± ¡°Oh, my poor Nyx. You haven¡¯t enjoyed your life if you haven¡¯t Cursed someone.¡± Nero made a pitiful face toward her. ¡°The pleasure you feel as your Cursed Hero awaits their inevitable fate. The terror they face while living their lives, thinking that now is when the Curse will ruin them forever. Ah, that feeling is euphoric!¡± Nyx just stared in disgust, as Nero looked like he was gonna pleasure himself silly. ¡°Have either of you ever experienced this intoxicating feeling?¡± Nyx looked down at her maids. Kit and Kat shook their heads. ¡°We are only E-Rank demons. We don¡¯t have the hearts to spare.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Nyx turned to Nero. ¡°See! Nobody in this house wants to feel that euphoric feeling you are talking about.¡± Nero tsk-ed at her. ¡°You should have your fun on Earth while you still can before the four Dukes descend. Then, there would be too much chaos to enjoy the torment properly.¡± ¡°Speaking of that, we should ask the Fallen from the Chaos Alliance to make the proper arrangements. We need to make sure to provide the Four Dukes the best service they can.¡± Nyx ordered him. ¡°I will get to it, once I get my heart back in a few weeks.¡± Nero nodded at her order. "Anyway, can I ask what job the Duke of Death send you to do?" "It''s none of your business to know what my Master ordered." "Aww. Look at you, still doing all of his biddings. The Duke of Death must be really happy with his lapdog." Nero laughed at her. Suddenly tendrils of darkness rose from the ground, their spikes surrounding Nero. "Insult my Master one more, and I will kill you on the spot." Nyx warned him. " Jeez. That was just a joke, don''t worry. I won''t be stupid enough to insult a Duke." "Make sure you remember that." With a final glare, Nyx retracted the spikes. As Nero was planning to leave the castle, Nyx stopped him. "I almost forgot. Can you tell me who is the Human that you put your curse on?" ¡°It was some Human child named Ryder Briar.¡± Nero replied after giving it a small thought. "Why do you ask?" "Just because." She vaguely replied, before shooing the Demon out of her castle. "Looks like Master''s plan is going perfectly." Chapter 33 : The Realms Outside – Part 2 The Fae Forest was the haven of the Elves and Beastmen on Earth. The landmass they had occupied was initially the dry continent of Australia. But when the Elves, along with their abundant natural mana, relocated on it, a huge wave of fertility hit the land body, giving birth to a huge woodland. The new-born forest was mesmerising as if it had been pulled straight out of a fairy-tale, home to many enchanting extra-terrestrial flora and fauna. At its centre stood a castle made from different trees and gorgeous minerals entangled to give it its exquisite shape. In its grand audience room, Nyra stood with her head bent down. Towering above her was Camelia, the High Queen of the Fae Forest and Nyra¡¯s grandmother. Despite living for more than a millennium, the High Queen still maintained her unearthly beauty. Her long locks were brown as the earth below, and her eyes were greener than grass, wet after rain. Nyra¡¯s grandmother had always carried herself with confidence, as the Queen of the Woodland Races, as well as an SS+ Rank Awakened. She was the most elegant woman Nyra knew, who never let her emotions get the best of her. And now, that same queen had an expression full of such rage, that the entire Forest could have burnt down, leaving nothing but ashes. And Nyra knew that this break in character was due to her reckless actions. ¡°Do you have any idea what you just did?¡± Camelia screamed. ¡°You illegally entered the Human Continent and broke the Treaty between the Five Races.¡± ¡°My apologies, High Queen. I have no words to describe my immature actions.¡± Nyra bowed down on one knee. Behind her Max and the two Moonlit Elves followed her examples. ¡°Do you think an apology will cut it? You might be the Future Queen of the Fae Folk, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can just ignore the rules!¡± ¡°I apologise for my irresponsible actions.¡± Nyra once again apologised. The sincerity in her granddaughter¡¯s voice was clear, so Camelia knew that Nyra was truly reflecting on her actions, but as the High Queen, she still had to punish the criminals. She took a seat on the throne behind her, her forehead furrowing from worry. Her two pet chameleons slid down from the flowery wooden branches of the thrones, and into Camelia¡¯s lap, rubbing their scaly chins on her palms. As Camelia was contemplating her decision, an Elf appeared at the entrance of the audience room. As she walked down the flower-laden hall, a herald announced her arrival. ¡°Presenting the High-Prophetess of the Stargazing Elves, Lady Sylvia Stargazer.¡± The Elf was a tall woman with night black skin and glowing white eyes and hair, much like the Moonlit Elves that were bowing before Camelia. If there was one difference, it was that instead of a crescent moon on her forehead, Sylvia''s face was covered in twinkling white spots, much like the constellations glowing in the dark sky. Among the Stargazing Elves, it was a common belief that the more stars you have on your body, the stronger your Clairvoyance powers would be. In all of Elven history, Sylvia was the first Elf to have over a thousand stars glowing all over her body. Her strong powers gained her a reputation not only among the Elves and the Beastmen but also among all the other races. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Hail to the High Queen Camelia Magicflower, fair and wise, whose grace and wisdom shine like the stars above. May your rule be blessed and your people prosper under your reign.¡± Sylvia greeted her with a bow. "What are you here for, Lady Sylvia?¡± Camelia asked her. ¡°If it isn¡¯t important, please request an audience for later. I am having an important discussion with my granddaughter.¡± ¡°Your Highness, I am here in regard to your granddaughter. I humbly ask you to not punish First Princess Nyra Magicflower for her actions.¡± Sylvia requested. ¡°Lady Sylvia, I am aware that you hold quite an influence among the Elven society. But that still doesn¡¯t give you the power to veto any punishments I grant out, especially to my family.¡± ¡°My apologies, Your Majesty. I wasn¡¯t trying to diminish your powers in any way. I only requested this because Lady Nyra went to the Human Continent on my orders.¡± Instantly, a fearful Aura descended on the hall. Sylvia tried to fight against Camelia¡¯s SS+ Rank Aura, but her A+ Rank Aura couldn¡¯t even soften the blow. Sylvia was forced on her knees. ¡°Lady Sylvia, what madness captured you that you would send my granddaughter to the Human Continent. That too, by breaking the Treaty.¡± ¡°Y-your Highness¡­¡± Nyra¡¯s voice groaned. After a long moment, Camelia finally lifted her Aura. ¡°Now explain!¡± ¡°Your Highness, a while ago, I received a very strong divination from the stars that Nyra had to visit a certain Dungeon in the Human Continent." Sylvia replied, a bit shaken from the High Queen''s earlier burst of anger. "I can swear on my powers that this action was necessary for the survival of the Woodland Races. This is why I requested Lady Nyra to travel to the Dungeon, even if it meant breaking the Treaty." Hearing the situation, a deep sigh escaped Camelia¡¯s lip. This is problematic. Stargazing Elves were very proud of the divinations. Since Sylvia, the High-Priestess, swore on her powers, it means the divination was true. ¡°Fine! I will take care of the business with the Treaty.¡± Camelia finally relented. ¡°But Sylvia, I truly hope what just happened will help the Elven and the Beastmen Races.¡± ¡°I thank you for your forgiveness, High Queen.¡± Sylvia and the rest bowed to the throne. ¡°Nyra, since I have forgiven you for your mistake, make sure you fix them, too. Go rescue Amara from the Human Continent.¡± Camelia gave out a final order. ¡°I have already made preparations for it, my Queen.¡± As the five left the hall, Nyra and Sylvia decided to take a walk in the Forest. ¡°Lady Sylvia, thank you for your aid.¡± Nyra bowed to her saviour ¡°It¡¯s okay, Nyra. It was me that got you into trouble after all.¡± ¡°No!¡± Nyra shook her head. ¡°You may have advised me to go to the Human Continent, but the final decision was still mine. You don¡¯t hold any responsibility over what I chose to do.¡± Sylvia just smiled at Nyra¡¯s humbleness. ¡°You will become a great Queen later, Nyra.¡± ¡°Thank you for your kind words.¡± But her voice then took a gloomy tone. ¡°My apologies, Miss Sylvia, but I wasn¡¯t able to gain a Spirit at the Human Continent.¡± ¡°Spirit? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°The thing you said I would find at the Dungeon. The Humans took the Spirit away from me.¡± Sylvia looked at her in confusion. ¡°Nyra, I don''t know what you were supposed to find in that Human Dungeon, but the stars reveal to me that you have already achieved your objective in the Human Continent.¡± ¡°How is that possible? I couldn¡¯t get anything there. I even lost one of my trusted subordinates in the process.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how you have saved the Elven Race.¡± Sylvia looked up at the bright sky, reading the constellations hidden by the bright sun. "But the stars tell me, that what you did, will trigger the beginning of a very fateful meeting.¡± Chapter 34: The Forbidden Potion On the night of the Anniversary Party, the Guild executives were enforcing their plan to shift the rumours onto the black sheep of the family. Unbeknownst to them, the preparation for Ray¡¯s escape plan was nearing completion under the supervision of Deus. In the basement, before Deus stood an ancient ornamental porcelain pot with a half-bloomed lotus bud floating at the centre. With his tail, he held onto a very fragile vial, pouring its contents into the water.
The Lotus of Buddha(A): Gives the possessor complete immunity against the Four Encounters:
  • Old Age - As long as the user holds the item in their possession, they won¡¯t grow older.
  • Sickness - Wards off all diseases and infections.
  • Death - Provides the user with rapid regeneration
  • Ascetic - Makes the user feel numb to worldly desires.
Vial of Michael¡¯s Tears(A): Holy water blessed with divine properties by the Archangel Michael. A few drops of this liquid will burn a demon from the inside out.
This Lotus was a key ingredient of a very important Potion that would very well determine the life or death of Deus¡¯ Master. The Curse-Breaking Potion! When Deus heard about it for the first time from his Master, he thought it was a ridiculous joke. After all, the ability to place Curses was the exact reason why demons were such an unstoppable force. With no way to reverse Curses, even High Ranking Heroes were scared of recklessly fighting with the more powerful demons. Even if it existed, there is no way such a legendary cure would come without its flaws. And sure enough, when Deus looked at the ingredients, he found two major problems with the recipe. The first was the central ingredient of the Potion - a Lotus of Buddha that had blossomed in Michael¡¯s Tears. Keeping aside the fact that they were highly expensive A-Rank items, there were also religious items. There is one commandment that almost all the religions on Earth spread, ¡°Miracles don''t come by easily!¡±. Religious items follow the same rule and thus, are very rarely found in Dungeons. It was a miracle in itself that Ray was able to get his hands on both of them using his resources as a son of the Laxon Family. But the second problem was even more delicate than the first one - the preparation of the ingredients. The Lotus of Buddha had to be watered for three days with a very precise number of Tears. If you put more Tears than needed, the bud would burn from the overflowing holy power. Put less, and the bud would dry up. Frankly, the Appraisal was the only reason why Deus was able to take care of the Lotus so perfectly. ¡°From the progress, the Lotus will blossom fully tomorrow at dawn.¡± Deus checked the status of the half-open bud with his Skill. ¡°Though I do wonder where the Master got these powers from.¡± ¡®EX¡¯ wasn¡¯t a Rank that is a part of the evaluation of mana-related objects. Not to mention the sheer overpowered-ness of the ¡®Appraisal¡¯ Skill. Although there were items that could evaluate Artifacts and other magic items, there were no Skills that could evaluate an individual''s powers, usually only privy to themselves, and even tell their maximum Potential. Such powers delved into the realm of omniscience, or at least something similar to God. And there was also that demon that attacked the Academy a couple of days ago. Although Deus wasn¡¯t dragged over to the sub-space, he heard everything through his connection with his Master. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. That demon, Nyx, was definitely talking about some sponsorship with Ray and her master. After going over multiple theories in the meanwhile, Deus had two conclusions about his Master. He was either a Messenger of some God, sent here to fight the demons. Or a Fallen, who has contracted directly with the Demon King. The next day, Ray¡¯s car rolled back in. Accompanying him was an unexpected guest. ¡°Hello, everyone! I am Isabella.¡± Ray¡¯s younger sister cheerfully introduced herself. ¡°Mew!¡± The Twin Fox Spirits rubbed their bodies against her feet, emitting small purrs. ¡°Aww! They are so precious.¡± Izzy picked them up, unable to resist their cuteness, and snuggled her face against their soft, silky fur. ¡°Their names are Yuna and Ryu.¡± Mike introduced them, a hint of proudness in his voice. He was really happy to see someone compliment his fur babies. "They have such adorable names. Are they your pets?" Izzy asked with curiosity. "Yes, they are," Mike replied, a warm smile spreading across his face. "I''m Mikael, but you can call me Mike." "Nice to meet you, Mike. You can call me Izzy," she responded with a charming smile. ¡°Miss Isabella, have you had breakfast yet?¡± Jacob kindly interrupted the two, a bit concerned about what he had heard on the news this morning. ¡°I haven¡¯t yet.¡± Izzy admitted with a hint of hunger in her voice. "In that case, I''ll whip something up for you real quick," Jacob offered, guiding her towards the dining area. ¡°Jacob, can you please show Izzy to a room later? I have some work to do.¡± Ray asked, a bit concerned about leaving Izzy. ¡°Don''t worry, Ray. I will take good care of her.¡± He nodded before getting busy in the kitchen. Ray and Deus headed down to the laboratory. On the centre of the table, stood a beautiful porcelain pot. Blooming atop it, was the most beautiful Lotus one had ever seen. Its pink petals were sparkling with the holy power imbued into it, like a glittering diamond. ¡°Wow, Deus! You did a good job.¡± Ray praised him, seeing the perfectly flowered Lotus. ¡°Of course I did!¡± Deus flaunted his achievement proudly. ¡°But I am curious. Will this really make a Curse-Breaking Potion?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I will make you something so amazing, that even the Demon King of this world would run away in fear.¡± Ray ecstatically informed him, putting on his lab coat. As he took in a deep breath to concentrate, his eyes suddenly became sharper as it seemed like some other force had taken hold. Unlike the Ray that was unfamiliar with even the most common knowledge of this world and somehow seemed to be desperately chasing after something, this one looked like an eagle that had finally been let out of its cage and into the wide sky. Deus stared at him in awe, as Ray put all his focus on creating the Potion. He crushed herbs. Mixed countless chemicals. Boiled petals to extract the essence. Slowly all the ingredients came together, leaving behind three tiny vials. Despite the massive amount of holy energy compressed into them, the Potion was a dark red, like dirty blood. ¡®Appraisal!¡¯
Curse-Breaking Potion Rank: S A Potion made from a Buddha Lotus bloomed in the Tears of Michael, it contains mythological levels of divine energy, able to exorcise a demon¡¯s Curse.
¡°Wow! You seriously made it!¡± Deus exclaimed over the bottles as he appraised them. ¡°Of course I did! I am sad you ever doubted me.¡± Ray jokingly pouted. ¡°I mean your Intelligence isn¡¯t that much higher than average, you know.¡± Deus ruthlessly pointed out on the Appraisal screen. Ray became flustered. ¡°O-one''s intelligence is quite subjective, you know.¡± ¡°But the Skill belongs to you, so the parameters are set by your standards.¡± Deus countered, his voice now taking a serious tone. ¡°Also, I do know that you are not dumb enough to not be able to guess what I am going to ask you now, right?¡± Ray just laughed lightly as he stared at Deus. ¡°Are you going to ask me how I have something as unbelievable as a Potion to break Curses? Well, I guess I have done too many things for you to find me suspicious.¡± "That ''Appraisal'' Skill of yours is not all that common either, you know!" Ray just smiled at him. ¡°So what do you think I am, my dear Spirit?¡± ¡°My guess would have been that you are a servant of the Demon King.¡± Deus confessed straightforwardly. "But that changed after I saw this Potion. No Fallen would ever make a Potion that is practically the bane of the Demons'' invincibility." "So what do you think of me now?" Ray asked, a bit intrigued about the thoughts of his Spirit. "I think you were sent here by some God to fight against demons." ¡°God? HAHA!¡± Ray burst out in laughter, hearing the ridiculous statement. A slight confession escaped his lips. ¡°Well, I guess I am a friend of God, in a way.¡± ¡°So you do admit you are a celestial being?¡± Ray just patted Deus on his head. ¡°My relationship to this world cannot be so easily defined. Just give me some time and I will reveal it to you.¡± Deus was his Spirit. So he deserved to know the truth about the person he has contracted with. It was just that Ray wasn¡¯t sure how to tell him that this world was inside a book his friend had written. There would be very few people who would believe and accept that they were just a mere figment of someone¡¯s imagination. ¡°Let¡¯s go up and have some food. We have got things to do after this!¡± Ray and Deus decided to leave the topic, but they both knew the conversation was over. Chapter 35: The Life of The Cursed Ryder awoke drenched in sweat, his body gripped by the familiar, agonizing pain. It felt as though a vortex fought to escape from within him while a boa constrictor coiled tighter and tighter around his being. There were pain meds on the table beside but he just pushed them to the ground. He knew better than anyone that those pills couldn¡¯t help him. Flashbacks of yesterday¡¯s appointment flashed in his mind. ¡°Ryder, your test results aren¡¯t very promising. At this rate, I am afraid you might not even make it past this month!¡± The doctor delivered the news with sad eyes. ¡°I understand.¡± Ryder replied, his face as emotionless as they had been ever since they started their treatments. There must have always been a lingering doubt in the young boy''s mind that he was beyond saving. The doctor found herself helpless in front of the boy who seemed to accept his fate without so much as a fight. ¡°Ryder, I haven¡¯t told your family about your condition, but you should consider informing them soon.¡± ¡°Will telling them make the pain go away?¡± He asked with not a hint of change in his expression. ¡°Well, no! But¡­ ¡° The doctor started, but Ryder interrupted her. ¡°Then I won¡¯t be telling anyone about it.¡± Ryder slowly got up from his bed and made his way to the bathroom to freshen up. When he got out of his room, their housekeeper and nanny, Emma, was setting up the dining table. His sister was already seated. The moment their eyes met, Ryder quickly straightened up his aching body and took a seat beside her. He didn¡¯t want his sister to notice his affliction. ¡°Did you take your medicine?¡± She asked, concern reflecting in her eyes. ¡°Yeah, I did!¡± He lied. ¡°That¡¯s good. ¡° She patted his head. ¡°Oh, and since your birthday is coming up in a few weeks, Grandpa suggested we should hold it lavishly. We will invite some celebrities and¡ª¡± ¡°Rachel, I don¡¯t really want a big party. Can we have a small celebration at our house instead?¡± Ryder interrupted, shooting down her idea. Rachel looked a little disappointed but agreed with his suggestion. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s do whatever you are comfortable with.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Young Master Ryder. I will make sure to make all your favourite dishes on your birthday.¡± Emma cheerfully chimed in, setting down an omelette and a glass of juice in front of him. ¡°Thanks, Emma!¡± He replied with a smile as he took a bite of the omelette. ¡°So, should I send an invite to Professor Ray next door? I know you are close with that guy Mikael.¡± Rachel asked, her full attention on her brother. ¡°Huh? Miss, you don¡¯t mean Ray Laxon, do you?¡± Emma interjected, visibly shocked. ¡°Their family has been rumoured to be allying with the Fallen.¡± Heavy silence descended upon the dining table. Rachel glanced at Ryder before turning back to Emma. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I spoke to Grandfather and Ray has been cleared of any suspicions, so there is no need to worry about Fallen or anything like that.¡± She turned back to her brother. ¡°Ryder, why don¡¯t you get changed? I was thinking we could go out to do some early birthday shopping for you, and maybe spend some quality time together.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± He quickly excused himself from the table and retreated to his room. ¡°Emma, I know as Ryder¡¯s nanny you are just worried about him, but please don¡¯t speak anything about the Fallen and Laxons in front of him.¡± Rachel spoke up, once she knew that Ryder was out of earshot. "I''m sorry, Miss. I just can''t bear to see him in pain again," Emma confessed, her head bowed as she fought back tears. After their parents died, Emma was the one who took care of and raised Rachel and Ryder. In her eyes, they were no different than her children. She couldn''t bear to witness Ryder''s suffering, hearing him cry in pain from nightmares every night. ¡®Oh, God! Please help this poor child. He has already suffered enough.¡¯ She prayed every night outside his room. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Emma. Ryder¡¯s gonna be fine. Grandfather will make sure of that.¡± Rachel reassured the devoted nanny, trying to convince herself as well. But, despite all those words, her eyes didn¡¯t drift away from Ryder¡¯s plate, where just a single, tiny bite was taken from the omelette. ¡®Grandfather, hurry!¡¯ She just prayed helplessly. ¡°You know, if you wanted to go on a date, you could have just gone by yourself. Being left alone at home is probably less awkward than third-wheeling.¡± Ryder deadpanned his sister in a dead-serious tone. ¡°For the hundredth time, this was just a coincidence.¡± Rachel stammered, flustered at her brother''s remark. ¡°You know, I am okay with leaving!¡± Rhian interjected, trying to mediate the situation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, man! I am just messing with her.¡± Ryder reassured him, flashing a playful grin. The trio found themselves window-shopping in The Apex Plaza, a prestigious mall located in the bustling commercial district of the Capital City. ¡°So, what are you guys shopping for?¡± Rhian asked as they leisurely explored the array of shops. ¡°It¡¯s going to be Ryder¡¯s birthday soon. I am thinking of buying him a handsome new suit.¡± Rachel replied, her eyes scanning the storefronts. ¡°Wait, we are shopping for Ryder and not you? Cause I am pretty sure we have only gone inside the women''s clothing stores till now.¡± Rhian pointed out, gesturing to the assortment of shopping bags they were carrying. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Rachel slapped him on the shoulder. ¡°They were pretty! And I am boosting the economy, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°I don''t think the economy is what you have in mind.¡± Rhian retorted, raising an eyebrow. Suddenly, Rachel''s attention was captivated by a mannequin displayed in one of the stores. "Oh, that''s cute!" She dashed into the store, leaving behind Rhian and his boring lecture. Rhian just sighed. ¡°My sister is quite something, isn¡¯t she?¡± Ryder chuckled, amused by his sister''s impulsive actions. ¡°She sure is.¡± Rhian replied, shaking his head in disbelief. ¡°She tends to over-shop when she stresses herself out.¡± Ryder explained. ¡°Stresses out-¡± But before Rhian can complete the question, an uproar started inside the shop Rachel had disappeared too. ¡°I was the one that found this dress first, so it belongs to me.¡± A loud voice reverberated across the entire store. ¡°No, I was the one that saw it first, so it belongs to me.¡± A second voice roared even louder. One of the voices was familiar to the two boys. ¡®I have a bad feeling about this.¡¯ Rhian thought as he made his way to the centre of the store where the fight was happening. Sure enough, Rachel was fighting with another girl over the dress she had noticed earlier. ¡°Rachel, why don¡¯t you just leave the dress? You have already bought a lot of stuff.¡± Ryder tried to mediate between the two. But as any guy with a girlfriend would tell you, you should never get in the middle of a fight between the two girls. ¡°Get lost, Ryder. That dress is mine and I am going to have it.¡± Rachel pushed her brother aside, as the fight continued. Ryder and Rhian awkwardly watched as Rachel and the other girl continued their heated argument over the dress. The commotion attracted the attention of the store staff, who rushed over to mediate the situation. "Excuse me, ladies, please calm down. We need to find a solution to this situation peacefully." One of the staff tried to reason with them, but neither heard her pleas. "No way! I found this dress first, and I''m not letting it go!" Rachel yelled, grabbing the dress. "You''re just being selfish! I saw it before you, and it should be mine!" The other girl screamed as she tugged the dress back. The tension escalated and soon the inevitable happened. ¡®Rippp!¡¯ The ripping sound echoed across the store as the employees and everyone around them stared in horror at the poor dress that was lost before its time. ¡°LADIES! STOP! NOW!¡± Ryder finally yelled at the two. The two girls froze in their spot, both, from the rage Ryder was emitting and the guilt over what they had done. Ryder turned towards the employee that was examining the torn-up dress and bowed his head. ¡°Miss, I apologise for my sister¡¯s actions. I request you to pack up the dress and charge for the full price on this card.¡± He said, handing her a black credit card ¡°Yes, sure.¡± The employee awkwardly replied to Ryder¡¯s sincere apology and went to pack up the dress. He then turned back to the two shocked girls. ¡°You two! Apologise to each other! NOW!¡± "I... I''m so sorry. I let my emotions get the best of me. I shouldn''t have fought over a dress like this." Rachel stuttered. "You''re right. I got caught up in the heat of the moment too. I apologise for my behaviour." The other girl apologised too. Another employee, probably a manger, soon returned with the packaged dress and the two apologised to her. ¡°We are sorry for our actions.¡± The two bowed their heads in shame. ¡°Going forward, please focus your attention on browsing our collection, rather than engaging in any form of conflict or disagreement.¡± The manager responded quite professionally, but anyone could see that she was pretty pissed off at them. The four quickly left the store to avoid any further shame. ¡°You handled that pretty well, dude.¡± Rhian praised Ryder, as the four distanced themselves from the store. Suddenly, the girl interrupted him, her voice filled with recognition. "Wait, aren''t you Rhian? The first-year from the Academy?" Rhian''s eyes widened in surprise as he recognized her. "Oh, yeah. And you''re Kyla, Miyu''s friend!" Ryder, intrigued by their connection, couldn''t help but ask, "Do you two know each other?" Kyla nodded eagerly. "Of course we do! Rachel, Rhian, and I were actually investigating the mysterious attackers¡ª" Before she could finish her sentence, Rachel and Rhian swiftly covered her mouth, panic in their eyes as they pulled her away. "Are you out of your mind?" Rachel hissed at Kyla, her voice barely above a whisper. "Miss Misa explicitly warned us not to divulge anything to outsiders." "But he''s your brother!" Kyla argued, her voice slightly muffled by their hands. "Surely we can trust him!" Rachel''s expression grew grave as she spoke with a serious tone, "That''s even worse! If you say anything to him about the monster attacks, I swear I won''t leave you alone." "Woah! Calm down. Fine, I won''t tell him anything," Kyla agreed, sensing Rachel''s hostility. The three of them then returned to where Ryder was patiently waiting. "Did you guys finish your discussion?" Ryder asked, his smile contrasting with his serious tone as he looked at Rachel. "Don''t worry about it," Rachel reassured him, attempting to dismiss the matter. "Sister, I hope you''re not hiding anything from me," Ryder said firmly, hinting at his suspicion. "It''s nothing for you to worry about," Rachel responded, trying to deflect his concerns. Rhian, sensing the tension, decided to change the subject. "Kyla, we''re going to buy something for Ryder now. Would you like to join us?" Rachel stared at Rhian in shock, her expression silently questioning his decision. Kyla, feeling Rachel''s antagonism, decided to decline the offer. "It''s okay. I''m meeting up with Miyu and Ophelia soon. I''ll see you guys later." Bidding her goodbye, Kyla left the group and went off to find her friends. ¡°So, Ryder, where do you want to go now? Tom Forde? Or H. Bossini?¡± Rachel asked, suggesting some of the high-end stores. "Actually, I was thinking of doing something different," Ryder responded, catching their attention. He pointed at an advertisement that had popped up on the LED screen. "There''s an Artifact Exhibit happening on the top floor of the Plaza. Should we check it out?" "An exhibit? Sounds interesting! Let''s go there!" Rachel exclaimed, intrigued by the idea. "Wait a moment!" Rhian interjected, noticing a particular section of the advertisement. "It seems like they are selling a limited number of tickets. I''m not sure if we''ll be able to get in." Rachel and Ryder stared at him, their expressions filled with confusion. They couldn''t understand why Rhian was bringing up such concerns. Rhian let out a frustrated sigh, realising the difference in their perspectives. "Right, I forgot who I am talking to. The Hero''s League President''s grandchildren. Limited tickets don''t mean much to you." The exchange left a momentary pause in their conversation as they processed Rhian''s words. "Don''t worry about the small details, Rhian! Let''s just go and have fun," Rachel dismissed his concerns, eager to continue with their plans. With that, the three of them made their way to the topmost floor of the Plaza. When they approached the exhibit entrance, the attendant checked their identity cards and quickly invited them inside upon recognizing who they were, disregarding their lack of tickets. "Ah, the taste of power is sweet!" Rhian commented with a hint of amusement as he accepted the brochure handed to him. "Oh great! She''s here too," Rachel sarcastically remarked, her gaze fixed on a group of three girls giggling in the distance. Among them was unmistakably Kyla. "Let''s go and say hi!" Rhian suggested, but Rachel swiftly shut down his idea. "No! Let''s enjoy the exhibit ourselves!" They began exploring the exhibit, while the three girls were lost in their small world, failing to realise the small encounter they had just missed. But all six didn¡¯t realise that soon an incident would take place that would force them together. Meanwhile, in his laboratory, Ray paused from his potion-making, his gaze fixated on the ceiling, trying to remember something. ¡°If I think about it, wasn¡¯t there an incident regarding the protagonist at this point in time in the novel? Well, if I don''t remember it, then it''s probably not important. Rhian will take care of it.¡± Ray quickly dismissed his thoughts and went back to his work. Chapter 36: The Auction Saying that the exhibition was amazing would be an understatement. C and B Rank Artifacts were displayed behind glass cases for the audience to appreciate their cultural significance. To everyone¡¯s surprise, even some A-Rank Artifacts had been carefully set up. There was The Trident of Poseidon that allows the user to masterfully manipulate water. The Golden Headband of Sun Wukong, a prison that restricts the power of anyone trapped in it. Napoleon¡¯s Sword that gives the owner authority over people who willingly follow them into battle. There were all types of Artifacts on display, plucked out straight from various mythological scriptures and history books. ¡°Wow, is that The Bow of Artemis?¡± Rachel¡¯s eyes fixated on a silver oak bow mounted on a nearby exhibit. Moonlight seemed to be glowing out from its handle. ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you an Archer, Rachel? That Bow would definitely suit you.¡± Rhian remarked, noticing her interest. ¡°Too bad, all the Artifacts here are just a copy.¡± Rachel sighed in regret, her gaze lingering at the Bow in regret. ¡°The real Bow of Artemis is supposed to be an S-Rank, not an A-Rank like this one. And it already has an owner.¡± ¡°Well, I am sure you will find a better Bow later.¡± Rhian tried to lift her mood but to no avail. With a final regretful sigh, Rachel moved on to the next exhibit. As Rhian followed her, a man accidentally bumped into him. ¡°Ah, I am sorry.¡± Rhian quickly apologised to the man, whose face was covered up with a hoodie. The man ignored him and swiftly merged with the crowd. But before he disappeared completely, he cast a final glance at Rhian. A slight shiver travelled down his spine, as Rhian locked eyes with his dark crimson gaze. ¡®Wait! Those eyes¡­¡¯ Rhian¡¯s eyes widened with realisation. Although it wasn¡¯t common knowledge on Earth, a Fallen¡¯s eyes glow a very distinctive shade of red whenever they come into contact with a demon or a strong source of demonic energy. It wasn¡¯t exactly an effective method to identify Fallen, since only demons could manipulate such amounts of Demonic energy. Furthermore, exposing a Fallen to such energy would only empower them. ¡°Wait!¡± Rhian tried to stop him, but the hooded guy had already vanished. ¡®What the hell is a Fallen doing here?¡¯ ¡°Rhian, where did you go?¡± Rachel called out to him. ¡°Oh, nothing¡­ Let¡¯s go see if there are more A-Rank Artifacts.¡± He lied. If he said anything now it would only cause unnecessary panic. And he won¡¯t be able to explain how he knew all that to Rachel. Nevertheless, he will still have to keep an eye out. About half an hour into their tour, an attendant approached the group. ¡°Ms. Briar, our exhibition is currently hosting a special event for our VIP guests. We would be honoured if you attended it.¡± Rachel glanced at the other two, and they nodded to her. ¡°Well, we were just about finishing our tour¡­¡± ¡°Then, please follow me.¡± The attendant guided them to a lift at the end of the hall. ¡°Once you exit the elevator, please walk straight down the corridor. Please enter the door at the very end to participate in the event¡± She instructed them as the three entered the lift. Once the doors closed, the lift slowly ascended upwards. ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t we already on the topmost floor of this Mall? How is this elevator going up?¡± Rhian asked. ¡°This elevator probably leads to a subspace.¡± Ryder explained.¡°They are small pocket dimensions that rich people use to hide away from the outside world.¡± ¡°Does that mean we are going somewhere shady?¡± Rhian was concerned, remembering who he saw moments ago. ¡°I doubt that!¡± Ryder reassured him. ¡°Considering the attendant approached us herself, I am fairly certain we are heading to an auction.¡± ¡°They are just trying to show off to us.¡± Rachel indifferently explained. Soon, the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open to reveal a pearl-white corridor. Just like Ryder had predicted, the doors at the end opened up to a private box, overlooking a grand stage. As the three took their seats, the spotlight steered over the hostess. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our extraordinary auction from Dungeons across the Human Continent. Tonight, we present to you a collection of B and A-Rank Artifacts. Let the bidding begin!¡± One by one, a variety of Artifacts were brought to the stage as people raised bids to claim them as their own. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°You can place your bid there.¡± Ryder pointed to a screen floating on the armrest. ¡°Just write down your price and it will appear on their screen. But, I would advise you to wait. Auctions like this only bring out the good stuff at the end.¡± Well, Rhian wasn¡¯t truly interested in buying anything either. Although to a D Rank like him, C Rank Artifacts would mean a lot, they were still quite expensive, ranging in the price of millions of R. [Author¡¯s Note: Just in case someone doesn¡¯t understand the R currency, it is actually Rupees. 1 USD = 80 R roughly] The hosts would occasionally bring out B Rank Artifacts to rile up the crowd, but none of them fit Rhian¡¯s fighting style, so he just yawned as they passed by. Just as he was going to suggest leaving, the host presented an Item he never thought he would see so soon in this world. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you a Monster Egg. While it may not have much practicality, it can serve as quite a decorative piece for your parties. Bidding starts at a hundred thousand R.¡± ¡®What the hell? Isn¡¯t that a Spirit Egg? And why are they selling it for just a hundred thousand? Don¡¯t these humans know how valuable those are?¡¯ If this was on any other planet, the bidding price of Spirit Eggs would have started at a hundred million R. And that was just the beginning, with competitors fighting and raising the price to almost double in some cases. Yet, here this valuable treasure barely had even a couple of competitors bidding for it. ¡°Too bad, I am not a Spiritualist, otherwise¡­¡± Rhian mumbled. Beside him, Rachel noticed Rhian¡¯s whispered remark. ¡°Rhian, by any chance, do you want to buy that Item?¡± Rhian¡¯s eyes widened as he remembered who he was sitting next to. He quickly clutched her hand. ¡°Rachel, you have to buy that Artifact. You might not understand now, but that Egg is not something that should fall into the wrong hands.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a decorative piece? You don¡¯t seriously think a Monster will come out from it, do you?¡± She laughed at his naivety. ¡°Something even worse than a Monster will come out if we leave it like that.¡± Rhian insisted urgently. ¡°...Going twice! And sold!¡± The host ended the bidding for the Spirit Egg. ¡°I guess we were too late.¡± Rachel commented awkwardly as Rhian tried to find the person who won the bid. Unfortunately, all the boxes had darkened glasses, so there was no way to check the occupants inside. Rhian hurried back to the corridor. Another door had appeared on the walls of the previously barren corridor. Two girls came rushing out. ¡°Did you buy the Egg?¡± All three interrogated loudly. ¡°Huh?¡± Rhian stared in confusion at the two girls he recognised. ¡°Kyla! Ophelia! What are you guys doing here?¡± ¡°The same as you. Trying to get the Egg.¡± Ophelia replied in an ¡®isn¡¯t-it-obvious¡¯ kind of tone. ¡°But, if you didn¡¯t take the Egg, who did?¡± The elevator doors suddenly chimed. The hooded man that Rhian had encountered before, sneered at them, a large egg gently cradled in his arm. ¡°You¡­¡± Rhian rushed towards the doors, but the elevator was already on its way down. ¡°Who was that guy that took the Egg?¡± Ophelia demanded, sensing something was amiss from his reaction. ¡°He was a Fallen¡­¡± Rhian answered. ¡°What!? A Fallen? The Spirit Egg is in the hands of a Fallen?¡¯ Kyla yelled at him. ¡°That is the worst-case scenario.¡± ¡°Just who are you guys? How do you know about Spirits?¡± Rhian stared at her in confusion, while Ophelia wore a panicked expression. ¡°Oh, come on. We are in a rush here. We need to stop that Egg from falling into the Alliance¡¯s hands.¡± Kyla quickly changed the topic. Rachel, Ryder, and Miyu caught up with them, rushing to their location. ¡°Why are you guys in such a hurry?¡± At that very moment, the elevator rang behind them, signalling its arrival. The three grabbed their friends and pulled them inside. ¡°Whoa! What¡¯s with the sudden rush?¡± Miyu demanded. ¡°I can¡¯t explain right now, but there is a Fallen in this building, and he just got his hands on an extremely dangerous Artifact.¡± Rhian quickly explained. ¡°What? A Fallen?¡± Miyu asked in shock. ¡°This auction house might be small, but I am sure they are strict with their client¡¯s identity checks.¡± Although it is impossible to check for demonic energy, big organisations still do identity checks for known Fallen. Miyu was misunderstanding that Rhian had recognised some Fallen that was shown on the news. Of course, he didn¡¯t have the time to correct it. ¡°Just find a hooded man, and try to take the Egg away from him. We can¡¯t let it get into the hands of the Alliance.¡± Ophelia pleaded to her friend. ¡°Kyla, go with Miyu and Rhian, take Rachel with you. You both saw what he looked like, so you might be able to catch him faster.¡± Rhian nodded, and all of them quickly split up. ¡°I am not comfortable being here. This is wrong.¡± Ryder whispered as he peeked outside the entrance to the women¡¯s restroom. ¡°Clamp it, you sissy.¡± Ophelia scolded him. ¡°You think gender ethics is more important when a Fallen is on the loose?¡± ¡°What are you doing anyway?¡± Ryder asked, seeing her squatting on the restroom floor. She was taking out various roots and plants out of her dimension clutch bag, and making a pile from them. ¡°It¡¯s a type of voodoo magic.¡± She answered, not taking her eyes off her task. ¡°What!? Voodoo? Why?¡± ¡°Because voodoo is as close as magic gets to mimicking demonic energy. I need to trip the sensors here so that they can lock down the mall. That will, hopefully, buy us more time to find that terrorist.¡± ¡°You do realise, we can just explain the situation to the guards.¡± ¡°The information verification will take too long. We can¡¯t let the guy escape the mall.¡± Ophelia countered. ¡°It¡¯s done!¡± She exclaimed. Ryder looked down at the messy collection of hideous roots, piled up in front of her, with an expression of distrust. ¡°Give me your lighter.¡± She demanded, forwarding her hand. ¡°Wh-what? I don¡¯t smoke!¡± Ryder responded, flustered. Ophelia¡¯s eyes shot him a fierce glance, like a hungry tiger eyeing a mouse. Chills ran down his spine. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell my sister.¡± He mumbled, handing his lighter to her. ¡®Clink!¡¯ Soon a pungent purple smoke was thick in the air. The two quickly rushed out of the bathroom. ¡°I know, it is a bit late to ask, but that magic you used, what does it do?¡± ¡°It''s just a minor curse that causes temporary panic in a radius.¡± She explained as sirens rang throughout the floor. ¡°Signs of demonic energy have been detected, so the building will undergo a strict lockdown until the investigation is over. Everyone, this is not a drill...¡± ¡°Now, pretty boy, let¡¯s go find ourselves a Fallen.¡± Ophelia dragged him to the plaza, where the crowd was slowly gathering. Chapter 37: Hidden Identities – Part 1 ¡°Signs of demonic energy have been detected, so the building will undergo a strict lockdown until the investigation is over. Everyone, this is not a drill...¡± ¡®Weird! I didn¡¯t sense any demonic energy being used, but the alarms still tripped.¡¯ Whatever the cause, the situation was in his favour, so Rhian decided to ignore the malfunction. ¡°Wait a second.¡± Rachel suddenly interrupted him. ¡°What happened?¡± Rhian quickly turned around, concerned that something was wrong. ¡°I just had a thought. Now that sensors are tripped, the escape routes must have been severely limited?¡± ¡°Yes, they have...¡± Rhian could easily understand where she was going with this. They needed to determine which locations were still accessible, as those would likely be the paths the Fallen would attempt to use. They both paused, racking their brains for potential escape routes that the mall lockdown wouldn''t properly cover. ¡°The Artifact Exhibition!¡± they both exclaimed simultaneously, arriving at the same conclusion. The Exhibition was taking place on the topmost floor, granting him access to the roof. Not to mention, all the Artifacts that were on display. The Fallen will have a vast array of weapons in his hands. ¡®Kaboom!¡¯ Suddenly an energy blast erupted from above them. Cracks snaked through the ceiling, as a second blast soon erupted. ¡°Everyone, please remain calm! Heroes are on their way! I repeat¡­¡± The air became thick with B-Rank Aura, making it difficult for Rachel to even take a step amidst the overwhelming demonic energy. Rhian swiftly grabbed her shoulders to steady her and prevent her from falling. "Are you okay?", he asked, concerned. "Yeah, I''m fine!" She assured, though still struggling to find her balance. Rhian carefully guided her to a nearby bench, urging her to rest. "You stay here and rest. I will go and investigate the Fallen." He explained as he helped her. "That will be too dangerous." Rachel protested, but Rhian was firm. ¡°Come up, when you are able to move!¡± He instructed her before darting up the staircase, leaving her behind. ''What is happening?'' Mana coursed through Rhian as he could feel his body being energised by the demonic energy from the blast. Beside him, Rachel groaned, clearly affected by the blast. He quickly supported her and guided her to a nearby bench. After making sure she was okay, he quickly made his way back to the top floor. As he approached the Exhibition Hall, he could feel the demonic energy fuelling his power. ''Why is my body absorbing Demonic Energy? I am just a normal human, not even a Fallen?'' Rhian questioned himself, as he stared at the entrance of the Exhibition. ''Is this because I am Reincarnator?'' Another shockwave shook the building, shaking the foundation of the building. He decided to think about the demonic energy later and went to search the Fallen. Inside the Artifact Exhibition, the security guards were all knocked to the ground. The auction hosts and attendants had fainted from being exposed to the strong demonic energy. Rhian tiptoed around their bodies, to not step on them. He bent down to check the pulse of some of them. None of them seemed to be in a fatal situation, so he decided to go after the perpetrator for now. It wasn¡¯t hard to find the location since he could feel demonic energy being released every time the tremors occurred. As Rhian got closer, the density of Demonic energy increased and he could feel it affecting his body, slowly boosting his strength. At the site, Rhian found two hooded guys, trying to blast open the glass windows. One of them was the guy he had seen earlier with the Egg. Unfortunately for them, the windows were made with glass specially strengthened with mana techniques, so most mana attacks would only bounce off. But this didn¡¯t discourage them from throwing attack after attack at the glass furiously, resulting in shockwaves reverberating across the building. As Rhian took a step closer, one of the individuals turned around to face him. ¡°It was foolish of you to trip the demonic sensors just to stop me. You''ve compromised your own identity.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The other Fallen, finally sensing Rhian''s presence, turned around in a hurry. He was a D Rank, unlike his B-Rank companion, so his senses weren''t heightened enough to notice the changes in his surroundings. ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who tripped them.¡± Rhian corrected him as he measure his opponents'' strength. ¡°What bullshit! You are the only one here who can use demonic energy other than us.¡± He yelled back. ¡°Are you after this Egg too? Don''t think I will let you deliver it to the Alliance and take all the credit.¡± ¡°You are right about the fact that I am gonna take it from you, but who said anything about handing it to the Alliance? Why will I give something so precious to those rotten Demons?¡± Rhian laughed at the accusations. The Fallens'' eyes widened in horror and surprise. ¡°How dare a servant of the Demons think about going against his masters. Prepare to be struck down soon!¡± ¡°Struck down?¡± Rhian just stared at him with an amused smile. He even waved his hand, mockingly imitating waiting to be struck. The Fallen were fanatics that believed the Demon Race to be all-powerful. Of course, the truth was far from this. Demons were highly mana-restricted creatures that couldn''t even step on Earth because of its low mana density. Of course, the very low-ranked demons were an exception. The most the demons could do was form contracts with the Awakened and spread Curses. This was the only reason why Earth was able to advance its magic uninterrupted for so many years and not be swallowed by the Demon King''s powers. Suddenly the atmosphere around them changed. Sensing something was amiss, the B-Rank quickly jumped, but his companion didn''t have such reflexes. A tendril of blood and demonic energy lashed out from Rhian''s body, capturing the unlucky Fallen. The tendril exploded into a ball of thick crimson blood, swallowing the two, leaving the B-Ranker to stare at the situation in disbelief. As the D-Rank Fallen locked eyes with Rhian, he could feel himself being crushed inside a pool of blood. Drowning in the sensation, the blood around him churned, pushing him toward its owner. Rhian slowly walked towards him, as the Fallen found himself in a globe of blood. ¡°Y-you are not a Fallen, you are a Demon!¡± He stuttered as realisation dawned upon him. ¡°Ex-demon, but yes.¡± Rhian corrected him, examining his mana in surprise. As his demonic instincts awakened from the demonic energy, he could feel his thirst for bloodshed resurfacing. He had tried a simple attack spell, but its power had increased several fold compared to his human powers. Of course, they were nowhere near his prime as a Demon in his previous life, severely restricted by his current D Rank. "Get down on your knees!" Rhian tried his new-found power once again, commanding the Fallen in a tyrannical tone. The guy''s knees immediately buckled up. The Fallen had a much higher boost in their powers, compared to normal Heroes. But this power came at a steep price. It was complete submission to the Demon Race. This D Rank Fallen was responding to Rhian¡¯s soul, which belonged to an ex-Demon, thus rendering him powerless. Suddenly, a demonic tendril came out of him, striking Rhian. He tried to sidestep it, but the attack still left a deep graze on his arm. Dark smoke began to coil around the Fallen¡¯s body, slowly shaping itself into a snaky form. ¡°Hey, demon! Who are you? And why are you attacking my contractor?¡± A deep voice called out. ¡°Do I need a reason to kill Fallen? They are just the servants of demon scum like you.¡± Rhian replied coldly. Finally getting a good look at Rhian, the snake Demon realized that he was no longer facing another Demon. Rhian possessed the eyes of a Demon but had the body of a human, as if a Fallen had merged with a demon. ¡°You! You are no Demon. What are you?¡± The Demon realised that he didn''t have to be wary of breaking any demon ethics. ¡°Victor, I command you to attack him.¡± Victor slowly stood up, his Master¡¯s order overriding his instincts to obey the Demon Race. He summoned an energy shot and flung it toward Rhian. But instead of the attack connecting, Rhian simply caught the energy ball before the mana integrated into his body. "Do you honestly think the impure demonic energy of a Fallen would be able to harm me?" Rhian stared at them, amusement glinting in his eyes. With a quick step, he appeared next to the Fallen and snatched away his Demon Master. ¡°Unhand me, you imbecile. Do you even know who I am?¡± The Demon shrieked in Rhian¡¯s hand, but Rhian tightened his hold even more. ¡°You are just a weak D-Rank Demon. What gave you the audacity to go against me?" Rhian''s calm demeanour struck fear into the Demon. He had only experienced this oppressive aura once in his life when offering his allegiance to the Duke. But there was no way a Duke would already be on Earth. ¡°Get lost now!¡± Rhian gave the snake a final squeeze and the Demon crumbled into ashes. Witnessing the destruction of his Master, Victor''s body began to tremble in fear. Of course, the Demon wasn¡¯t really dead. Only his physical form on Earth had been destroyed. As long as the Demon¡¯s hearts were still intact, he would eventually revive back on Tartaros. ¡®Now what do I do with this guy?¡¯ Rhian wondered, staring at the Fallen at his feet, begging him to spare his life. Absorbing the Demon and Fallen''s power had temporarily given a boost to his almost non-existent Demonic powers. Rhian looked down at the dark-haired Fallen. He had quite a toned build, but it wasn''t muscular enough to be a Tanker. "What type of Awakened are you?" "A-an Assassin." The guy named Victor stuttered. ''Assassins are good at sneaking and finding information. I can use him.'' Finally deciding, Rhian presented him with an ultimatum. "I will let you live. But you will form a contract with me." "But Fallen aren''t allowed to break their contracts. Only Demons in the contract can do that, and that is usually done by the Death of the Fallen." "I asked you a simple question. Will you form a contract with me or not?" As a final nudge, Rhian released a strong burst of demonic energy to intimidate him. Victor rapidly nodded his head, afraid to lose his life. "Good boy!" Rhian praised him. With a brief touch to his forehead, Rhian pushed his remaining Demonic energy into the Fallen. Victor could feel his previous Master''s demonic energy being pushed out his body, as the new mana took its place. Blood began to accumulate in his throat. ''Bleurgh!'' Dark blood regurgitated in his mouth, as his body excreted the dark energy. "H-how?" Victor stared in shock as the contract that had been established between him and his previous Master was slowly destroyed, and the black thread of fate bound him to this Demonic Human. Rhian looked at him with an amused expression. "Be proud! You are now the servant of the ex-Duke of War!" Chapter 37: Hidden Identities – Part 2 ¡°What just happened?¡± Kurt stared in surprise as his companion was swallowed by that attack. He could feel an insane amount of terror radiating the globe of blood. Normally, he wouldn''t be scared of a D-Rank Awakened, but he had an uneasy feeling that whoever they had met was not someone to be angered. ¡°Well, I already have the Egg with me, so let''s leave that idiot to deal with the Hero.¡± And if Victor dies, it will be better since he will get all the credit. ''I can always kill him if he survives.'' Kurt decided to leave the Exhibition. There was no more reason to be there since the windows didn¡¯t seem like they would budge. He could probably force them open with more power and time, but Heroes should already be on their way. There is no way he can leave undetected now. ''Since there is no rush in leaving now, should I have some fun before leaving?'' He glanced at the exhibits, displaying the wonderful selection of Artifacts, Kurt could feel greed tickling his fingers. ¡®Too bad these Artifacts aren''t the original deal, but I should still be able to do quite a lot from them.¡¯He swiped a key card from the body of the nearest security guard, unlocking all the display cabinets. Excitement filled him, like a kid opening presents on Christmas. As Kurt placed the last Artifact in that section inside his ring, he sensed a presence behind him. He slightly tilted his body, and an arrow buzzed past him, getting stuck in the wall. ¡°Woo! That was a close one.¡± A chuckle escaped his lips as he turned around to find a sliver-haired girl pointing a blinding white bow at him. ¡°Be careful, little girl. These Artifacts can be a little dangerous.¡± ¡°I think you are the one who should be careful.¡± Rachel smirked at him. ¡°Huh?¡± Kurt stared at her in confusion, as her figure became unfocused in his eyes. ¡®Whack!¡¯ Kurt found himself getting flung away, as the girl¡¯s illusion dissipated. The moment The Bow of Artemis came into contact with the demonic being, it started to disintegrate. Rachel quickly took to her feet. ¡®Damn it! These imitation Artifacts should be made to last more than a single use.¡¯ When she finally felt herself getting used to the demonic energy, Rachel quickly rushed to Rhian''s aid. But when she reached the Exhibition, all the guards and attendants were unconscious on the floor and Rhian was nowhere to be seen. And that''s when she noticed the Fallen raiding the exhibits. It was futile for her, a D-Rank, to fight a B-Rank Fallen, especially since she hadn''t brought any of her weapons with her. But one thing that Rachel''s friends will always tell you, is that whenever she sees anything related to Demons, an unsatiable anger erupts inside her. So despite her better judgement, she idiotically picked a fight with someone she had no chance against. Thankfully, reason hadn''t abandoned her completely. She swiped off the Bow of Artemis from its cabinet, the weapon she was most confident in. Artemis was the Roman goddess of hunting, and the bow boosted the arrow''s power as well as the accuracy of hitting the target. It also had the bonus skill of casting low-ranking illusions. Rachel used all the tools at her disposal, but unfortunately, she still wasn''t able to leave any kind of injury. This, again made it clear to her how large a gap the two of them had between their Ranks. But Heroes must already be surrounding the building, so now the best option would be to draw the Fallen out to them, and let the Heroes do their job. She rushed as fast as she can to reach the edge of the floor and jump down to the plaza on the ground floor, the most likely location of reinforcements. She might break a few bones from the jump, but she will be safe. Well, that is, if she can outrun the Fallen she had just angered. ¡°Hey! Hey! Hey!¡± The Fallen followed from behind, as she ran towards the center of the floor. ¡°Little girl, has never told you that you should never anger those stronger than you?¡± But just as she prepared to leap down, a sudden punch struck Rachel with force. ''Crap! I was so close...'' She broke through the glass railing, plunging down with the added force of the attack. The people below, noticing the commotion and broken glass from above quickly dispersed, and Rachel approached the cold hard floor. But right before the impact, her survival instincts kicked in and she twisted her body, with the full burst of injury aiming at her right shoulder and avoiding her head. Nevertheless, the pain flooding her senses was nothing shy of hell. The bones in her right arm seemed to have shattered from the collision. But before she could even get used to the pain, the disaster struck again. ¡°Aahh!¡± A lady screamed pointing upwards. The crowd looked up to see a man floating in the air. Black lightning crackled around him, as the demonic energy in them radiated downwards. Being exposed to such strong mana of the demons, many of them began to puke on the ground and fainted. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. As Rachel struggled to move, Kurt floated down next to her. ¡°Now that I remember correctly, aren¡¯t you Rufus¡¯ granddaughter?" He smiled at his newfound realization. "After your brother was cursed, the Alliance was ecstatic for a long time. I wonder how delighted they will be if I kill you.¡± ¡°Shut! Up!¡± Rachel spat the words at him, with clenched teeth. ¡°Still full of life, aren¡¯t you?¡± Kurt just smiled at her. He pressed his foot on her shoulder, sending a thousand volts of pain through her nerves. She clenched her teeth tighter trying to fight off the pain. ¡°Look! The great Rufus Briar¡¯s granddaughter. At my feet!¡± He laughed at his dominance. Suddenly, a brick hit Kurt on the head. ¡°Get away from my sister, you Demon!¡± Ryder yelled at him. Kurt just smiled, looking down at Rachel. ¡°Sister? Oh my! Look who¡¯s lucky day it is. I get to kill both of Rufus¡¯ grandchildren.¡± ¡°Stay away from my brother!¡± Rachel wanted to scream at him, but only a weak murmur escaped her lips. ¡°If you want to save your sister, why don¡¯t you come down yourself? Or are you too scared to be cursed again?¡± The Fallen just taunted him, as he slammed his foot on her again. Another wave of pain flooded her nerves. She could already feel herself losing consciousness. "R-Ryder, run!" Those were the final words she could say before she fainted. Suddenly, a curtain of white fire rose, separating all three of them. Kurt quickly retreated to avoid the intense heat and turned around to see who was attempting to disrupt his fun. At the entrance of the mall stood an Asian woman. As she waved her red hand-fan, the flames obediently danced to her commands, encircling Kurt and isolating him from the rest of the people. ¡°Kurt Holdem. B-Ranked Awakened. It¡¯s been a while since you were active as a Fallen.¡± Sakura Touri called out, her voice laced with determination. ¡°Touri! It¡¯s been a while. I think the last time we saw each other was when we were first-years at the Academy.¡± Kurt replied, seemingly delighted to see a familiar face. "You forfeited your right to be called a student the moment you made a pact with a demon," Touri retorted, her forehead furrowing as she recalled their unpleasant past. ¡°Ah. Don¡¯t be a sourpuss. But first, why don''t we lower the temperature a bit? It''s getting hot¡± Kurt said with a snap of his fingers. In an instant, black lightning crackled and filled the building, extinguishing Touri''s flames with its dark magic. ¡°Now isn¡¯t this a bit better?¡± Kurt smirked as he took a step closer to Touri nonchalantly stepping over the weakened embers of her magic. ¡°Are you surprised that I am no longer the Kurt who didn¡¯t even pass his first year at the Academy?¡± Her disgust was evident. ¡°You sacrificed your humanity for this meagre power?¡± "Of course I did. With the power I''ve gained, I can do anything. For example..." Kurt''s voice trailed off as he suddenly disappeared from Touri''s sight. "I can kill the grandson of the Hero League''s President." Touri swiftly turned to locate him, but before she could react, Kurt materialized next to Ryder. She raised her fan, ready to attack him, but Kurt conjured a ball of lightning in his hand, taunting her. ¡°Be careful, Touri. You don¡¯t want me to hurt the President¡¯s grandson.¡± he mocked, forcefully positioning Ryder as a shield between them. A million thoughts raced across her mind as Touri stared at the situation she was placed in. ¡®This is bad! Ryder is Cursed. He can''t endure prolonged exposure to demonic energy. But if I attack Kurt, Ryder will be caught in the crossfire.'' ¡°What do you want, Kurt?¡± Touri asked, trying to buy some time. "I want to leave this mall. Let me go, and I''ll release him," Kurt replied, his voice filled with malicious intent. "How can I trust that you''ll keep your word?" Touri questioned, her eyes fixed on Kurt, her fan ready to unleash her powers at any moment. ¡°Touri! Touri! Touri! Do you honestly have the time to ask these questions?¡± Kurt chuckled at her arrogantly. ¡°The longer this boy stays with me, the earlier his Curse will claim him. You should let me go while I''m still asking nicely.¡± Lightning crackled threateningly close to Ryder''s face, releasing another burst of demonic energy that left him visibly weakened. Her concern for Ryder intensified. He was already breathing heavily and was on the verge of collapsing. He couldn''t withstand this environment much longer. "Fine! Go! Now," Sakura reluctantly conceded, her fan still pointing towards Kurt. Both of them remained on high alert, their mana at the ready, prepared to strike at the first sign of betrayal. Taking a step toward the entrance, Kurt dragged Ryder with him, while Touri stood her ground, helplessly watching him escape. However, behind Kurt, she noticed a shadow inching closer. It was Ophelia, one of her daughter''s friends. ¡®ON THREE, ATTACK!¡¯ Ophelia mouthed to her. Touri¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. There was no way she could launch an attack. Ryder would surely be in the line of destruction. ¡®JUST TRUST ME!¡¯ She mouthed back. Her fist was already up, ready to start counting. Slowly Ophelia opened her fingers, one at a time. Kurt also moved towards the mall entrance, ready to make his getaway. ¡®Kurt will definitely not let Ryder go the moment he''s outside. He is far too valuable a hostage. Ophelia is famous for her strategic intelligence at the Academy, so I am sure she has a plan, but¡­¡¯ At that moment, the life of an innocent person hung in the balance. The moment Kurt senses anything, he will kill Ryder on the spot. The Tragedy of the Briar Family was known across the entire continent. The boy had already suffered for his whole life. As a mother herself, Touri refused to let Ryder meet the same end as his parents. ¡®Oh God, please don''t do this to him!¡¯ Ophelia raised her third finger. Chapter 38: More Hidden Identities As Touri prepared herself for her decision, Ophelia continued her countdown. As the third finger was raised, a spark lit the tip of Touri¡¯s hand-fan, but before the fire could follow its wild nature, an irregularity descended upon the mall. ¡°Seriously, you could have used that Skill much earlier.¡± Kyla complained as she walked into the plaza, which was full of statues. She waved her hand in front of The Fallen, expecting he might react. ¡°Wow, I have seen you use this Skill many times, but it still creeps me out so much. It¡¯s scary that you can just turn us into frozen statues whenever you want and we will never even know.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t statues. I just froze them in time.¡± Ophelia corrected her partner. ¡°Anyway, where were you and Miyu when all this commotion was happening?¡± "Oh, we were there!" Kyla pointed to the first floor, where a frozen Miyu stood, staring in horror as her mom fought against the B-Rank villain. ¡°It would have been good if you could have come to help.¡± Ophelia pouted. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I¡¯d love more than a fight against those Demons. But when fighting a B-Rank villain, even I would have to reveal my true form. The High Queen will kill us if that happens, especially with the recent fights that happened between the Forest and the Continent.¡± Kyla explained. ¡°Speak for yourself. There is nothing that Camelia could do that can scare me.¡± Ophelia boasted. ¡°You may say that but you still won¡¯t want to disappoint your godmother, now would you?¡± Kyla teased her friend. Everyone saw her as a really smart and mature girl, but Ophelia had her cases of childishness, which only those close to her could ever see. Kyla was always proud that she could be one of the special people. ¡°Enough chit-chat. Let¡¯s get to work now.¡± Ophelia¡¯s strict voice snapped Kyla out of her mischief. ¡°Kyla, take Ryder and put him somewhere safe. And check if Rachel is breathing. We should administer her some Healing Potions just in case.¡± ¡°Should I punch this guy, just in case?¡± Kyla asked, pointing at the Fallen who was holding Ryder hostages. ¡°No. We can¡¯t change a lot of things inside the timestop. Aunt Touri will question it if the guy she was attacking suddenly got beat up.¡± Ophelia explained. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s do it.¡± Kyla quickly followed her friend¡¯s instructions. She grabbed Ryder and quickly placed him in a corner. She made sure to check for debris nearby, so he could be comfortable. ¡°Poor guy. He¡¯s already suffering from the Curse and now he has to go through this.¡± Kyla pitied the unconscious Ryder. She turned to Ophelia. ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should just give him a painless death? He will suffer less that way.¡± ¡°Even if he does, that¡¯s a choice he will have to make himself. We can decide whether someone chooses to live or end his life.¡± Ophelia replied, acknowledging the complexity of such a decision. Kyla gave Ryder a final glance, before leaving to help his sister. Ophelia looked down to check his condition. Dark veins were already crawling from his heart to the rest of his body. The Fallen might have accelerated the spreading of the Curse, but Ryder must have still been in excruciating pain, long before coming to the mall today. ¡®I wonder if what Kyla said is right.¡¯ Ophelia questioned what she had just said moments ago. ¡®If nothing else, he has already made a commendable achievement, being able to endure this much.¡¯ ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done here!¡± Kyla announced. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s lift the spell now.¡± And with a snap of Ophelia¡¯s fingers, time once again began to flow for those inside the mall. A burst of enchanted fire engulfed the Fallen, who was too shocked to react as he witnessed his hostage disappear before his very eyes. Touri was equally shocked on seeing Ryder disappear. She darted her eyes, trying to find Ophelia. When she saw Ryder lying safely next to her, Touri quickly recovered her senses. It didn¡¯t matter how Ophelia rescued Ryder, but now she had no one holding her back. She quickly summoned her mana, ready to kill the enemy in front of her. The Fallen, quickly realising the position he was in, decided his retreat, His original objective was already achieved, There was no reason for him to stay here and sacrifice his life. He quickly sprinted through the entrance but was greeted by two more B-Rank Heroes outside. Ophelia turned away from the entrance and looked back at Kyla, who was back on the first floor. They both nodded at each other with understanding passing in their eyes before Kyla sprinted away from the railings. Miyu, still focused on her mom, didn¡¯t realise her friend had disappeared. Ophelia focused her entire attention on the boy groaning in front of her. The black veins slowly began to spread further on his body, his condition worsening from the exposure. She could only imagine the agony he was feeling at the moment. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ryder. I am going to help you.¡± She quickly began to fish out different herbs from her purse. After making a pile next to him, she quickly set it on fire and dark purple smoke began to rise. She summoned a gust of wind to blow it toward Ryder. As he breathed it in, she could see his erratic breathing calming down. The black veins that had been previously spreading at a fast pace, began to recede back to his heart. ¡®I am so sorry I can¡¯t remove the curse for you, little guy. Hope this can take a bit of the pain away.¡¯ When Ryder opened his eyes, he found himself staring at the familiar ceiling of a hospital room. He had spent half his life here because of his condition. But this time, he noticed something different. He actually felt refreshed, as if he was waking up from a nice nap. It was unlike the nightmarish nights he had spent here as the Curse took hold of his heart and mana. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡®Rachel!¡¯ He parted with his new-found tranquility as he remembered the events that had occurred before he fainted. He quickly rose from the bed, kicking off the blanket, determined to search for his sister. But thankfully she was peacefully sleeping in a bed next to him. Her body was completely covered in bandages, barring her beautiful silver hair with those funny red highlights. The monitor next to her showed that her vitals were stable. Ryder sighed in relief as he realised that both of them survived the Fallen attack. ¡°Oh my god!¡± A nurse stood in front of him, taken aback by Ryder''s abrupt awakening. ¡°I have to call the doctor.¡± At the nurse¡¯s call, rapid footsteps echoed in the corridor as the doctor quickly rushed in. She immediately began to examine his body for leftover wounds, and asked him questions regarding his physical and mental health. ¡°Ryder, how is your heart feeling? Are you experiencing any sort of pain?¡± The doctor asked him. Ryder, his gaze fixated on his sister''s slumbering form, responded. ¡°There is not that much more pain than before.¡± The doctor''s eyes widened in astonishment. ¡°This defies all expectations! You were exposed to great amounts of demonic energy for so long. For a Cursed person such as you, you should be writhing in pain right now. Yet, it¡¯s like you were never exposed to demonic energy at all.¡± She carefully examined Ryder''s body, unable to conceal her amazement. Ryder was shocked upon hearing his report. This was the first time the doctor had said anything positive about his condition. ¡°Does this mean I can recover from the Curse?¡± The doctor bit her lip at Ryder¡¯s question. Her heart hurt, seeing the young boy¡¯s glimmering eyes. She took a glance at Rachel to check if she was still unconscious, and then delivered a crushing blow to Ryder¡¯s budding hope. ¡°I wish I could say yes, but unfortunately, your Curse is still progressing as it was before. You will still die within a month.¡± Ryder¡¯s heart immediately dropped. A giggle escaped his lips, as he laughed at his naivety. Right! It was futile for someone like him to believe that he could get better. He had already lived with this Curse for all his life. He had seen countless doctors giving up on him. There was no reason for him to hope. The doctor tried to console him. ¡°Ryder, I still believe you should tell your family-¡± ¡°No!¡± Ryder screamed at her. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± Ryder quickly got out of his bed and left the room. ¡°I need some fresh air.¡± Unbeknownst to them, a few feet away, someone had awakened from her slumber. Wide-eyed and silent, she had heard every word.
Kurt''s heart pounded from fear, as he jumped through rooftops, hiding in the cover of the night. Even with his demonic powers, it would have been impossible for him to fight with three B-Rank Heroes. He still couldn¡¯t believe that the hostage disappeared right in front of his eyes. He was just a few feet away from a sweet life of freedom, and a hostage so precious, the entire Hero League would have groveled in front of his knees. But now he was running away for his life. Soon, even Rufus Briar himself might join the search for him. That was how big a mistake he had made! Sirens blared in the distance, as Heroes from various nearby Guilds patrolled the streets searching for him. ¡°Will it kill the League to just let me go? It¡¯s not like one uncaptured criminal won¡¯t ruin their reputation!¡± He mumbled, frustration radiating from his voice. ¡°You sure have guts to try to kill the League President¡¯s grandchildren and then expect to be left alive.¡± A voice suddenly resonated on the silent rooftop. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Kurt was startled, hearing the unknown voice. Running from the authorities the entire day, his senses were at an all-time high. Yet, he still couldn¡¯t feel any presence near him. ¡°Where are you hiding?¡± ¡°For a B-Rank, you are quite insensitive. How can you not see I am standing right behind you?¡± A voice spoke directly behind his ear. He quickly turned around, his fist filled with power. But in the split second, it took him to react, a hand swiftly blocked his attack and broke his wrist before flinging him off. Kurt crashed into the wall. ¡°Now, now, Kyla! We don¡¯t want to damage him too much.¡± A second voice chimed in. A shiver travelled down his spine, as Kurt heard the voice. He could sense a strange arrogance radiating from the voice, much like from the one that had captured Victor during the Exhibition. The voice wasn¡¯t laced with a Duke¡¯s level of demonic energy. But Kurt could sense she was someone who believed herself to be above all. Struggling to rise, Kurt could feel a fingernail slowly pressing itself to his neck. In the darkness, he caught a glimpse of the woman, in whose hands his life dangled. Dark brown locks like the earth had risen to give rise to her. She bared her fangs at him, as Kurt noticed her hands. The skin had turned scaly like a lizard¡¯s and two large spikes grew from her elbows. ¡°Y-you are a Beastwoman!¡± Kurt realised, seeing her inhuman appearance. ¡°Why are the Woodland Races on the Human Continent?¡± Kyla pressed the spike deeper against his Adam¡¯s Apple, causing a drop of blood to trickle down. ¡°I will advise you to keep your mouth shut. Otherwise, she¡¯ll truly kill you.¡± The second girl advised from behind. Both radiated weak C-Rank Auras, yet their abilities greatly surpassed the threshold of their Ranks, even as Beastmen. Then there was only one answer. They were hiding their true Ranks to infiltrate the Human Cities. But Artifacts that can conceal your true Rank are very rare. For them to possess two of them, someone with significant influence must be supporting them, such as the High Queen of the Fae Forest. He realised he had to tread cautiously. These two could very well be A or even S Ranks, formidable opponents he couldn¡¯t dare to fight against. ¡°Are you going to kill me now?¡± He inquired carefully. ¡°What¡¯s the fun in that?¡± The black-haired girl laughed at him, her tone full of amusement. ¡°But first, we will take the Egg you bought from the Auction.¡± "You know, when you say it like that, we actually seem like the villains here." "Just hand over the ring." The first girl swiftly slipped the dimensional ring off his finger. ¡°Wow, you managed to snatch quite a collection of artifacts from the Exhibition.¡± ¡°Those are all fakes, Kyla.¡± Ophelia interjected, dousing her friend¡¯s excitement. ¡°That¡¯s a bummer! So, what do we do with him now?¡± Kyla asked her friend. ¡°Let¡¯s send him to the Fae Forest for now. We can torture him for information. If he proves useless, they will dispose of him.¡± Suddenly, Kurt¡¯s body began to shake, as black blood dripped through his teeth. After a few seconds, his body went limp in Kyla¡¯s hand. ¡°What just happened?¡± ¡°I guess we weren¡¯t the only ones who followed him here.¡± Ophelia scanned the nearby buildings for signs of activity. ¡°They seem to have left already.¡± Kyla just stared in disgust at the corpse in front of her. ¡°Looks like nobody in the Alliance trusts each other. They killed him off the moment we captured him.¡± ¡°We should leave this place too. Heroes are already swarming in.¡± Multiple Auras were already surrounding the perimeter. It would be almost impossible to go out undetected. Well, that would have been the case if not for Ophelia¡¯s Skill. Just as they were about to disappear in the darkness, a butterfly illuminated the starless sky. As it flew above Ophelia, the butterfly began to shed its beautiful blue glittering scales like pixie dust. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Nyra¡¯s butterfly? What does she want?¡± Kyla asked, surprised at seeing a message from their friend. ¡°Hmm. It looks like she has a job for you Kyla.¡± Ophelia replied, assessing the message she had received. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t she send me the message directly?¡± Kyla asked, confused. ¡°Anyway, what is the job?¡± Ophelia¡¯s lips arched into a mischievous smile. ¡°I guess you should get ready for your first Prison Break!¡± Chapter 39: At Peace With It Mike, Izzy, and I were currently visiting Ryder at the hospital. It surprised me that Izzy wanted to come with us since Ryder was a person who didn''t keep many friends. But surprisingly, unlike her introverted brother, Izzy was a social butterfly and made fast friends with those around her. Since the hospital was meant to be a quiet space, Mike decided to leave his two high-spirited companions back at home, under the precious care of Jacob, who was spoiling them with his food. Deus wriggled on my arm. I decided to bring him with me since his health expertise might come in handy. Though, of course, unless the root of the pain, the curse, wasn¡¯t removed from Ryder¡¯s body, any Healing Magic Deus uses on him won¡¯t be effective. Thankfully, I had already completed the Curse-Breaking Potion. Now the only thing left to do was to administer it to Ryder. In the past few days, I thought of all the possible scenarios I could go with the Potion. At first, I thought I could break Ryder¡¯s curse in front of the executives of the Hero League, and prove to them how valuable an asset I was. They won¡¯t possibly execute someone who could make such legendary Potions. I had also been steadily selling various Potions on Pandora''s Box, so my reputation as a Potion supplier was rising steadily. But after some more thought, I decided that revealing the information would be too risky. If the League executives knew about my Potion, they would want to use it for themselves or ask for the recipe. There was no way I would hand over such an important Potion to such power-hungry people. Not to mention I only had three doses of it. Two, if I exclude the one I would be giving Ryder. The ingredients for the Potion were also very rare. so I doubt I would get a chance to make another batch. The best plan would be to keep the remaining Potions with me. The only people who will be knowing about this secret would be the Briar Family. ''I am sure Rufus won''t do anything to threaten the life of his precious grandson''s savior.'' I knocked on the door to Ryder and Rachel¡¯s room. "Come in!" Rachel called us in. I opened the door and the three of us entered. Being a VIP room, it was pretty spacious inside, equipped with a TV and a huge window overlooking the beautiful garden. Rachel was resting in her bed, while the one beside her was empty. ¡°Professor Ray! Mike! Thank you for coming!¡± Rachel greeted us, her voice a bit cracked, as if she had been crying. "I hope we didn''t interrupt your sleep or anything?" "You didn''t." She dismissed my worried. "I was already up talking to some of my Academy friends. You just missed them." "And where did Ryder go?" I asked, pointing to the empty bed "He just went outside for some air.¡± ''Hmm. Hey, Deus, can you go and check on Ryder for me?'' ''Sure!'' Deus activated the Fade Skill and slithered off my arm, disappearing out of the room. ¡°We got a ''Get well soon!'' gift for you two.¡± Mike interjected, proudly showing off a box of cake they had brought with them. ¡°That¡¯s very sweet of you.¡± Rachel thanked him. Rachel then glanced at Izzy. ¡°Ah, hello. I am Ray¡¯s sister. Isabella Laxon.¡± She introduced herself. ¡°Though we are not really part of the Laxon Family anymore.¡± ¡°Ahh! I did hear there was trouble brewing inside the Aurum Guild. But I wasn¡¯t aware the younger daughter had left the Family as well.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have much of a reason to stay there any longer. And anyway, my brother said he is going to take care of me, so I don¡¯t need to worry about my living conditions.¡± Izzy said in a joking manner, clinging to my arm. "Yes. An elder sibling should always protect his younger siblings." Rachel mumbled, as her eyes were fixed on Izzy''s arm that was linked with mine. The hospital room was filled with awkward tension. I finally decided to interrupt. ¡°Anyway, I was shocked to hear about the Fallen attack on the mall Exhibition. Did the League find out who was behind it?¡± ¡°The body of the Fallen who attacked us was found two days ago but his dimensional ring wasn''t on the scene. So the Heroes in charge still aren¡¯t able to figure out what the villain had stolen. They are also treading with caution since we don''t know if this was an individual act of crime or something planned by the Alliance.¡± Rachel explained. ¡°I see¡­¡± I pondered over the information. At this time, the Alliance would be busy with the first major calamity that will occur on Earth, so I doubt they would waste resources on other things. I am pretty sure that the missing Item was a Spirit Egg since at this point in time, the general public was still not aware of their importance. I do remember that an important event had taken place during this time, involving Rhian and he had obtained an important asset. ''I should go check out the storyline on my laptop later.'' As we were making small talk, a light knock sounded on the door, and the door slid open. Rufus Briar, the President of the Hero League walked in. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you again, Sir.¡± I greeted him nervously. That intimidating SS-Rank Aura that I had witnessed at the League HQ was gone, but the atmosphere around him was still heavy. As expected of the man who reached the pinnacle of SS-Rank! Rufus ignored my greeting and instead stood beside Rachel. ¡°How are you doing, honey? Any pain?¡± He asked her in a sweet tone, gently patting her hair. Anyone can see how much Rufus cared for his grandchildren. How can a Fallen be dumb enough to pick a fight with the President of the Hero League? ¡°I am doing fine, Grandpa. I''ve told you so many times already. And didn''t I tell you not to come here every day? Don¡¯t you have work back at the League?¡± Rachel responded. ¡°I can do that work later. Right now you and Ryder are the most important to me.¡± He answered in such a sweet and ''grandpa-ly'' voice, I had to remind myself again, that the person in front of me was the head of the organization that effectively ran an entire Continent. ¡°All right, Grandpa.¡± Remembering that we were still there, Rachel introduced us. ¡°Oh right! Grandpa, meet my neighbors, Mike and Izzy. And that is my Professor at the Academy, Professor Ray.¡± ¡°Yes, I have heard of them.¡± Rufus responded in a heavy tone. I returned a nervous smile. I guess Rufus didn''t want someone who could possibly be in contact with the Alliance to stay near his granddaughter. The bloodlust that he was emanating in my direction would have made a Boss Monster run to his mommy. ¡°Well, we should leave now.¡± I decided to end our meeting. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you guys wait for Ryder?¡± Rachel asked. ¡°That¡¯s okay, I will visit you guys when you get discharged from the hospital. Tell Ryder that Jacob said he will have his favorite dishes ready when he returns!¡± With that final statement, I rushed out of the hospital room with the other two. ¡°We should have stayed until Ryder came back.¡± Mike complained as we drove back home. Izzy, who knew about the Laxon Family¡¯s secrets, kept silent in the backseat. ¡°Mike, they are recovering in the hospital right now. We shouldn¡¯t disturb them too much.¡± I tried to steer away from the conversation. ¡°And anyway, they will be discharged in a few days. You can visit them then.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± He grumbled but didn¡¯t complain anymore. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°How did the visit go? Are Ryder and Rachel doing okay?¡± Jacob asked as we entered the house. Yuna and Ryu were playing at his feet, as Jacob poured food pellets in their bowls. ¡°Rachel was doing okay. We weren¡¯t able to check on Ryder but he seemed to be doing well too. They will be discharged soon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±
Back in the hospital room, Rachel and Rufus were sitting in silence. ¡°Grandpa, can I ask you something?¡± Rachel asked in a solemn tone. Rufus, who was cutting apple bunnies, looked up sensing the seriousness in her voice. ¡°What is it, sweetie?¡± In the hospital, as she lay alone, a million thoughts crossed her mind as she recalled what she had heard. How scary it must be for him to spend the time, counting the days until he dies! Should she tell Grandpa or not? Finally, deciding not to keep this to herself, Rachel spoke up. ¡°I think Ryder is d-dying.¡± Rachel¡¯s voice cracked up. The words that had only existed in her mind till now were finally given form. Not able to bear the weight of her words, she broke down, pleading for help. ¡°Grandpa, can¡¯t we do anything? Ryder won''t survive for longer.¡± As someone who had been on the field as a Hero for many years, fighting the Fallen and the Chaos Alliance, Rufus had encountered many such situations. Many of his friends and colleagues had been cursed by those damn Demon Fanatics. Some went into a spiral of depression and anxiety. Others denied their fate until they drew their last breaths. At that time, there was only one thing he could tell them ~ ¡®It would be okay¡­¡¯. He would always repeat this to them, almost like a mantra, but their endings were always the same. Nightmares, episodes, pain. And waiting at the end was death. But this time, Rufus couldn¡¯t bear to say the same words to his granddaughter, knowing full well that it would be a lie. Instead ~ ¡°Rachel, I know it will be hard. But all we can do for Ryder now is to keep him as much at peace as we can.¡± Hearing her grandfather¡¯s words, Rachel yelled in disbelief. ¡°But, surely there is something you can do! You are the President of the Hero League.¡± ¡°My dear, if there was something I could do, I would have done it long ago.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s Ryder! We can¡¯t just lose him. Please! Grandpa!¡± Rachel begged, leaning into his chest. Rufus could only comfort her, feeling completely powerless for the first time in his life. ¡°I am sorry. I am so sorry¡± He kept apologizing, as Ryder slowly stepped inside. He had been hiding in the hallway when Rachel and Rufus had been talking about his condition. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Ryder reassured them. ¡°I already made peace with it long ago.¡± Despite his comforting words, Rufus could sense the hopelessness in the boy¡¯s voice. It was the same tone he had heard in the voice of all his friends that had given up on their lives. Rufus extended his arm, inviting Ryder to their hug. ¡®I will never forgive the man who made you like this.¡¯ Rufus and Rachel both vowed as the three embraced each other in familial warmth. After they had hugged for what felt like an eternity, the nurse came in to administer their meds. Rufus decided to take his leave at the moment, going back to his office. ¡°Have we got information on the Fallen that attacked the Apex Plaza?¡± He asked his aide, Liam. ¡°Yes. Kurt Holdem''s post-mortem report states that there was a conditional Curse placed on his body. We don¡¯t know the exact conditions for the activation, but we suspect it has something to do with the Spirit Egg that went missing from his possession.¡± Liam reported. ¡°I see. Anything else?¡± ¡°Well, there was something else we found suspicious at the scene. It seems like Kurt wasn¡¯t the only Fallen at the location during the fight. Two more demonic energies were found during the investigation.¡± ¡°Two more!? Any status on them?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, no. They completely disappeared from the scene and we haven¡¯t been able to trace them yet.¡± ¡°I see. Any updates on the Laxon Family front?¡± ¡°Edward Martin has been having secret meetings with some of the lower-ranked members of the Chaos Alliance. We suspect he may even be in the process of transforming into a Fallen himself. We just need to get some more evidence and then we will be able to execute him.¡± ¡°What about the rest of the Laxon Family?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t able to find anything on the other family members. It might be safe to believe that Edward was acting arbitrarily.¡± Liam gave his conclusion. Rufus pondered for a while. After a minute, he finally spoke up. ¡°Let¡¯s execute the entire family regardless. Heron has always been cunning in hiding his dealings behind all his flashy extravagance. We can never be too sure when it comes to him. So, the moment solid evidence against Edward is secured, we will move against the entire family. I am sure public opinion won¡¯t be kind towards them when it¡¯s found out Heron''s beloved successor is in contact with the Fallen.¡± His grandchildren had already been in life-threatening situations twice because of the Fallen. He will no longer go easy on the ones associating with those damn villains. ¡°And what about the two who were recently removed from the Laxon Family register?¡± Liam asked. ¡°They will receive the same judgement as the rest of their family.¡± Rufus gave his final decision. ¡°All right, Sir. I will make sure everything goes according to your wishes.¡± With a respectful bow, Liam left the room. The downfall of the Laxon Family had been set in motion. ¡°When are you planning to give him that Potion?¡± Deus burst into my room. Guessing from the tone, it seems that Ryder¡¯s condition was worse than I thought. "How bad is his condition?" "Trust me, that Appraisal Skill was not kind while summarizing his medical information. The amount of pain that boy is feeling right now, I am surprised he is even conscious. Trust me, that boy needs the Potion. NOW!" "Well, it''s not like I can just sneak into the hospital and inject it into his IV or something." "Why not?" "Because the boy in question is the grandson of the Hero League President, and has just had a traumatic experience with Fallen. And I am someone whose family is under suspicion to be with the Alliance. The last thing Rufus would do is allow me to give Ryder a Potion of unknown origins." "That boy will not last three weeks. We don''t have time to be cautious." ¡°Listen, I will give Ryder the Potion when he returns from the Hospital in a few days.¡± I promised. "But until then, I am powerless." "Just make sure to do it before it''s too late." The day after Rachel and Ryder were to return from the hospital, Jacob and I went to visit them in the morning, along with a delicious gift of pancakes. Izzy had gone to school while Mike was taking online courses for his General Education Diploma, so neither of them was able to come. An older woman opened up when I rang the doorbell. ¡°Ah. Welcome. Are you Miss Rachel¡¯s friends?¡± She asked. ¡°Oh, yes. I am Ray Laxon, her neighbor.¡± I introduced myself with a polite smile. But the moment I told her my name, her expression changed. Her eyes tightened into a slight frown, but she still maintained her professionalism. ¡°Miss Rachel will be out in a moment. Please come in.¡± She showed us to the living room. ¡°Professor Ray! Sir Jacob! You are here so early.¡± Rachel called out to us, climbing down the stairs. ¡°Ah! We came to check on you guys after you got discharged from the hospital.¡± I explained. ¡°Here are some pancakes for you, if you haven''t had breakfast yet.¡± Jacob offered the tiffin to Rachel. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have!¡± Rachel thanked him and handed it to her caretaker. ¡°By the way, where is Ryder?¡± I asked her. The Potion was in my ring, ready to hand it to him today. ¡°Ryder had a minor episode two days ago. So, the doctor decided to keep him under observation for a bit longer.¡± Rachel explained as she took a seat opposite us. ¡°But he will be back by his birthday. I hope Mike and Izzy can come to celebrate with us. Especially since¡­¡± Her voice trailed off. I sensed the sadness behind it and decided not to push the matter. But unfortunately for me, this was not an ideal scenario. If I have to wait till his birthday, it will be really pushing it close to the deadline. ¡°If you guys need anything for the party, I am always ready to help.¡± I promised. ¡°Thanks a lot for the offer.¡± ¡°I can also cook a mean feast if you need any help?¡± Jacob interjected. ¡°Thank you too, Jacob.¡± Once Jacob and I left the house, Rachel sat down to have her breakfast. Emma served her the pancakes Jacob had brought. As she put a bite in her mouth, Rachel could feel the sweetness spreading on her tongue. Compared to the bland hospital food, this was true paradise. She could already feel her worries melting away. ¡®Wow! These are amazing!¡¯ She had heard Ryder always praising Jacob¡¯s cooking skills, but she never realized how good it really was. ¡°Miss, is it really necessary to invite the Laxons to Master Ryder¡¯s birthday party?¡± Emma interrupted, as Rachel was getting lost in the wonderful flavour. ¡°Emma, we have talked about this! Ray is not involved with the Fallen.¡± Rachel sighed, not wanting to start this conversation again. ¡°Actually¡­ I was recently contacted by Liam. He told me that the Laxon Family is connected with the Chaos Alliance.¡± Emma revealed the news. ¡°What!?¡± Rachel yelled, shocked on hearing this discovery. ¡°Though, it seems that Mr. Ray might not be one of them." Emma added. But I must warn you that things are not looking good for the Laxon Family and those associated with them. Liam told me to tell you that you should limit your interactions with them.¡± Rachel calmed down a little, knowing that Ray wasn¡¯t one of those colluding with the Alliance. But she was worried about something else now. Those associated with the Fallen were never forgiven by the media and society. Even Mike and Jacob will get affected by this. ¡°Okay, Emma, I will take care of this, but make sure that Ryder doesn¡¯t hear anything about what we discussed just now.¡± Rachel sighed. Ryder was already going through a lot. The last thing he needed was to lose a friend. ¡°Okay, Miss. I will make sure to keep the news away from Master Ryder.¡± Emma accepted the command. Rachel ate another piece of the pancake, but her appetite was already ruined. Chapter 40 – An Unexpected Past Two weeks and one more panic attack later, Ryder was discharged from the hospital. His doctor initially wanted to keep him under observation for longer, but¡­ ¡°We both know that my staying here is not going to delay the inevitable. The least you can do is let me spend my final days at home.¡± Ryder was stubborn about going back home. He initially didn''t plan to guilt trip his doctor, but she was reluctant to sign the discharge papers. ¡°Fine! I will allow you to leave. But make sure that you take the painkillers I am prescribing to you." The doctor warned him. "I know you think that those meds don¡¯t work, but trust me the pain will be a lot worse without them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about that.¡± He gave a vague reply. And with that, Ryder found himself back at home. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you are finally back.¡± Rachel greeted him at the door. ¡°There¡¯s no way I am going to spend my last days in that crummy room.¡± Ryder grinned at his newfound freedom. Rachel, on the other hand, sighed at her brother''s carefree attitude toward his own death. But Rufus had reminded her not to mention anything about the illness to Ryder, so she pushed her words down her throat. Instead... ¡°Your doctor called me to let me know to make sure that you take your meds on time.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry! I will make sure to take them.¡± Ryder answered, already prepared to trash them in a corner of his room. ¡°Hand them over to me.¡± Rachel squeezed his shoulder. Tightly. Ryder almost felt his shoulder bone crack as Rachel stopped him with her strong archer grip. ¡°Your doctor already told me you weren¡¯t taking your meds at all last time. So this time I am gonna make sure you take all of them, even if I have to force your mouth open.¡± ¡®Gulp!¡¯
¡°Yes, Mom. I¡¯m okay. Yeah, I am at the Academy right now. No, I am not sneaking out, Mom.¡± Miyu answered her mom''s questions on the phone. Ever since the Fallen¡¯s attack on the Apex Plaza, Touri had been asking her daughter for constant updates on her situation. ¡°Wow, Miyu! You must be seriously traumatized from the incident. Are you feeling okay? Should I bring you some soup? Maybe even blow on it. ¡± Ophelia teased her friend, speaking in a super concerned tone. ¡°Shut it!" Miyu tried to block her friend''s mouth but Ophelia just dodged it. Noticing her friend''s lack of playfulness, Ophelia asked curiously. "You seem kind of down. Is something the problem?" "Well, I am glad my mom is keeping in touch with me, but she should worry more about herself. The League is under immense pressure from all the recent events." Hearing the mention of the League, Ophelia''s ears perked up. "Events? What happened?" Miyu scratched her head, wondering if she should reveal it to her friend. Her voice sharply decreased as she responded, ¡°I am not supposed to know this, but it seems The League captured a spy in the northern forest. That''s why the League is in an uproar." "A spy!!" Ophelia pretended to be shocked at this information. "Did they find out where the spy come from?" "No idea. But there are talks of moving the prisoner soon." ¡°So, they are already planning to move her¡­¡± Ophelia mumbled under her breath. ¡°Did you say something, Ophy?¡± ¡°Ah, no. Nothing.¡± Ophelia snapped out of her thoughts. "So the spy..." ¡°Enough about the spy! Let''s focus on the Competition now. ¡± Miyu changed the subject as the two of them made their way into The Academy Coliseum. ¡°I am sad Kyla isn''t here with us. Well, we can¡¯t do anything if her family called her back home so urgently. Ophy, aren¡¯t you and Kyla from the same hometown?¡± "Yes. We are." She nodded. "Now that I remember correctly, aren''t you guys from a town in the North? That''s where the spy was found!" "Really?" Ophy let out an awkward laugh at her friend''s observation. "What a crazy coincidence." "Yeah, that''s super crazy." Suddenly a bell rang from inside, signaling the two to go in. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s enough talk. Let¡¯s fight to make Kyla proud.¡± Miyu cheered. ¡°Let¡¯s do that!¡± With a final cheer, the two entered the Coliseum. Rhian was sitting on the audience tiers of the Coliseum when he noticed Miyu and Ophelia entering the arena floor. Usually, the physical exam for second-year students happens right after the first-year students have theirs. But because of the monster attacks during their exams as well as the Faydes that had infiltrated the Academy, the second-years¡¯ Physical Exam had been kept getting delayed. Finally, the administration and the teachers decided to hold a group battle match between all the students, in teams of two. The grading system was done based on the number of wins secured in the competition. Even some of the Guilds were called out as a publicity stunt and to dampen the rumors that had been floating around. Today was the final battle between the two teams that had scored the most wins during the competition and would decide the final winners. ¡°Any bets?¡± A student interrupted him from behind. Rhian gave it a thought and then handed him a 500 R note. ¡°Miyu and Ophelia¡¯s team.¡± ¡°Really? I feel like they are going to lose. I mean The Executioner is super strong. No one can ever take her place beside The Mastermind.¡± The bookie tried to tempt him into betting on the opposing team. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I am sure Miyu is strong enough to substitute The Executioner!¡± Rhian replied in a matter-of-fact tone. Without explaining, the guy just shot him a disappointed look and left to collect more bets. "The stands are full of students. I guess everyone is eager to see The Mastermind in action." Beside him, Victor finally looked up from his newspaper. Usually, strict checking is done by the Academy when letting outsiders in, especially after the recent incidents. But for Victor, who has been a part of the underworld for most of his life, he had multiple fake IDs that could bypass such security checks. ¡°The Mastermind, Ophelia, and Her Executioner, Kyla are very famous in the Academy circles.¡± Victor explained to his master. ¡°This entire betting thing began because the students wanted to show how much they disapproved of Miyu substituting for Kyla during the Exams.¡± ¡°Wow! That is a lot of hate generated for something so trivial.¡± ¡°They are just paying the price for being famous." Victor shrugged it off. "That doesn''t make sense. On the battlefield, it''s not like you can choose who you are teaming up with. How is being a famous team going to help you there?" "It''s just teenager hype. Nothing practical about it. Also, aren¡¯t you a bit too uninterested in student affairs? You are a human teenager now, so you should act like it! I noticed that you don''t even have friends with you. What a sad life.¡± Rhian just stared at his servant, giving a look that clearly said, ''Are you my parent?'' Victor quickly became flustered after that. ¡°And anyway, there is no point in making friends with these people now. We both know what¡¯s going to happen on Earth soon! Now that the mana density has increased significantly on the planet, the Dukes will soon start descending. Half of the students here will be killed during their ¡®fun time¡¯. It¡¯s no use forming relationships when you don¡¯t even know if they will survive.¡± ¡°Are the Dukes as horrible as they say?¡± Victor asked in a sheepish tone. When he was still a part of the Alliance, he did hear from his fellow Alliance members that very high Ranking Demons were soon going to visit Earth. This was why Kurt and many other Fallen were frantically trying to gain achievements. If one of those Dukes noticed them, they could even switch their demonic contracts and serve stronger Demons. It would be a huge rise in status in the Fallen society. ''Well, I already got myself a contract with one.'' Victor blushed in pride about his achievement, conveniently forgetting that Rhian was not a normal Duke. ¡°The Dukes are far worse than you imagine!¡± Rhian brought him out of his daydreaming. ¡°The Dukes are on the top of a species that thrives on destruction and chaos. The only way you can become one of them is by being the worst of them all.¡± ¡°Can I ask a question?¡± Victor asked, a bit nervously. ¡°Is it how I, one of those said Dukes, die?¡± It was easy to guess what he wanted to ask. Victor nodded at it. It was surprising to hear that someone who reached the peak of existence could also be brought down. ¡°A fellow Duke betrayed me.¡± Victor could see the rage burning in his eyes. ¡°He was a very sneaky bastard. He was cunning and a liar. He convinced the Demon King that I was after the throne. So the King massacred my entire family and all my subjects. I was left all alone in my castle.¡± Anger started to boil inside Rhian as he remembered the powerlessness he had felt watching those around him die. " And after my entire Dukedom was ruined, he killed me." He would never forget or forgive them for what had been done to him. The day Rhian had found himself on Earth, he had vowed that he will get stronger here on Earth, hidden away from their sights. And then he would take over the entire Demon Race, just like how the Demon King had accused him of doing. ¡°Let¡¯s leave. We have some training to do.¡± Rhian commanded, and the two got up to leave.
With Ray¡¯s scandal, he was under a ¡°vacation¡± period generously granted by the Academy. So Ray had decided to spend his days tinkering away with Potions in his lab. Izzy and Mike were still students, so they had to attend classes in the morning. This left Jacob and Deus quite a lot of free time to just laze about around the house. Or at least that should have been the case. ¡°Kyu! Kyu!¡± The two Fox Spirits were sprinting around the house, full of energy, like children in an amusement park. ¡°Uh, stop running for a minute.¡± Deus chased after Yuna and Ryu, as they ran around the living room. They had been playing in the garden before, so their paws were scattering mud all around the house. ¡°Ha-ha! Those two are playful.¡± Jacob just watched them in content, like an old grandpa watching his grandkids play on the field. ¡®Ding!¡¯ A notification chimed on his laptop, and Jacob quickly turned back to his screen. ¡°What are you doing, Jacob?¡± Deus asked, tired from running after the two. Jacob was staring at his screen with a very serious look. ¡°I have been trying to hack into the Aurum Guild¡¯s network for the past few days. I finally succeeded.¡± Jacob explained nonchalantly, without turning away from the screen. Deus¡¯ eyes turned wide at Jacob¡¯s unexpected revelation. ¡°Um, Jacob¡­I am not familiar with the computer systems used on Earth, but I am pretty sure that the security system used by one of the top Guilds won¡¯t be easy to break into, right?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­it was one of the toughest firewalls I have ever had to bypass.¡± ¡°Were you always this¡­multi-talented?¡± Deus stared in disbelief at the ex-man of faith. ¡°Did you think I was a priest all my life?¡± Jacob just chuckled at Deus'' expression. ¡°¡­I guess.¡± Jacob just gave him an amused smile. ¡°The world during my time was one filled with chaos. At that time, there was no organisation like the Hero League to run things efficiently. Dungeon Rampages were more prone and your h could be attacked by monsters at any time. Humans like me, who weren¡¯t Awakened by mana, had to develop a variety of skills to survive.¡± Jacob could see himself walking down his memory, as he recounted his story. And despite the tragedy that sprang from his lips, Deus could see a faint smile forming on his frail lips. ¡°At that time, those who had Awakened were beginning to use their abilities and closing Dungeons around the world. The riches they brought back found much fascination among the people here and the Heroes amassed great wealth.¡± Jacob explained as Deus listened in fascination about the firsthand account of the history of the world. ¡°At that time I belonged to a group of orphans that had banded together from here and there. We pickpocketed, robbed, and broke into the houses of those so-called Heroes, stealing their wealth. Not a proud way to live, I admit, but it was our way of rebelling against the society that discriminated against those not selected by mana. Among the five of us there, I was the only one who knew about computers, so I decided to try a little bit of hacking.¡± There was a hint of pride in his voice. ¡°Seems more than a little bit, if you ask me.¡± Deus gave him a suspicious side-eye. The life Jacob described seemed brutal. The Awakened were proud people and would have, no doubt, tried to capture such thieves many times. The fact that Jacob and his team were able to pull such tricks and survive, despite not being Awakened, meant they were no ordinary group. ¡°Well, anyway, I left the group long ago. My criminal days are behind me.¡± Jacob sweared, placing a heart. ¡°Yet here you are, hacking into the Aurum Guild¡¯s network.¡± Deus pointed out. ¡°I only did that to find some dirt on them. Ray is Mike and my saviour. The least I can do is help him clear his name.¡± Deus was a bit skeptical about this group that Jacob belonged to but decided to accept his goodwill. ¡°So, did you find anything worthwhile in there?¡± ¡°Oh yes, I did." Jacob grinned like a cat who finally caught the mouse''s tail. "There were several unofficial withdrawals made by Edward Martin from the Guild¡¯s funds. If I dig around a bit, I am sure I can find evidence on who was on the receiving end.¡± "That would be great. We will have irrefutable proof when the court hearings happen." Deus slithered down to the lab to tell Ray about their new findings. On the table, with his laptop open in front of him and some herbs tangled in his hair, was a sleeping Ray. He had been making batches of different Potions non-stop, so as to increase his reputation on Pandora¡¯s Box. ¡®The exhaustion must be finally getting to him.¡¯ Deus grabbed a blanket with his tail and gently placed it on his shoulders, so as to not wake his Master up. ¡®Hmm! What¡¯s this?¡¯ Just as Deus was about to leave, he noticed a document opened on his Master¡¯s laptop. ¡®Is this a story?¡¯ Chapter 41: Regrets Never Said Out Loud It was finally the night before Ryder¡¯s birthday party. Despite Rachel¡¯s insistence that she didn¡¯t require any assistance, Mike, Izzy, and I decided to help with the decorations. Since cooking was Jacob¡¯s expertise, he offered to lend a hand in the kitchen. Emma was initially a bit skeptical about letting him into her kitchen but relented once she tasted his skills. While the rest of us began setting up for the party, Ryder was pushed over to my house to play with Ryu and Yuna. Since Ryder didn''t want anything fancy, Rachel decided to plan the birthday as a late-night drinking party/sleepover with lots of snacks and games. As midnight approached, we began to set the table. I set down the dishes and Deus arranged the cutlery. Jacob and Emma were putting up the final touches on the cake. ¡®Ding! Dong!¡¯ Suddenly the bell rang. ¡°Are you expecting anyone, Rachel?¡± ¡°Oh, it''s probably just my grandpa!¡± Goosebumps erupted all over my arms as soon as Rufus was mentioned. ¡°Y-your grandfather is coming?¡± ''Of course, he is coming. It didn¡¯t make sense that Rufus would miss his grandson¡¯s birthday.'' I cursed myself for my lack of planning. ''Well, he didn''t do anything to me at the hospital, so he would at least stay civil.'' The problem was that he might not let me give the Potion to Ryder. I should have handed it to Ryder before he left. Sensing my nervousness, Rachel tried to reassure me. ¡°If you are worried about Grandpa threatening you, don¡¯t be. Your family might be under suspicion, but he knows you aren''t associated with them. He won¡¯t do anything to you.¡± I was about to breathe a sigh of reply, but then Rachel lightly coughed. ¡°Ahem...probably.¡± ¡°Hello! Who might you be?¡± Emma greeted the stranger as she opened the door. Rachel leaned out to see who was standing at the door and rushed to the front when she realized who it was. "Miss Misa! What are you doing here?" ¡°It''s nice to see you, Rachel! How are you doing?¡± Misa greeted her back. When she looked at me, her eyebrows furrowed momentarily. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were here too, Ray!¡± ¡®Hmm. Is it me, or did she frown on seeing me?¡¯ ¡°I was just helping with the decorations.¡± I replied, dismissing the momentary change in her expression. ¡°Anyway, why are you here? Did something happen?¡± ¡°Oh, I just had a message from the President.¡± She turned back to Rachel. ¡°Your grandfather is sorry but he will be running a bit late today. Some important documents were suddenly sent to the office that needed urgent verification.¡± Misa looked apologetic, but Rachel brushed it off. ¡°He could have just sent a text message.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t feel it was appropriate to send the message through text.¡± ¡°Well, anyway. Do you want to come in? It would be wrong of us to send you away when you came all this way..¡± ¡°Um, sure, why not! Do you guys need any help?¡± Misa offered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. We are almost done with all our preparations anyway.¡± Since the couches were filled with decoration leftovers, Misa pulled out a seat at the dining table and sat beside me. She gave me an awkward smile as I finished setting up the plates. ¡°I wanted to thank you again. I heard you took over my classes back at the Academy.¡± I decided to make small talk. ¡°Oh- what? Uh, that¡¯s fine. You didn¡¯t have many classes anyway, so it doesn¡¯t matter anyway.¡± Misa stuttered, clearly avoiding my eyes. ¡°The cake¡¯s finished!¡± Suddenly Jacob¡¯s voice called out from the kitchen. ¡°I will help him move the cake!¡± Misa took this as a chance to make a run for it. "Is it me or is Misa acting kind of dodgy?" Deus asked me, telepathically. "I have no idea." If it was someone else I would have thought that they were being like that because of the rumors surrounding me. But Misa was the one who investigated me, so there was no way she didn¡¯t know that I was innocent. ¡®Wait! Rufus received some important documents. Could it be that he has gathered enough evidence to go after the Laxon Family now?¡¯ According to the novel''s timeline, it shouldn''t be until the end of the year until the end of the year when the Laxon family gets arrested, and it was only September now. But, I do admit that my actions during the party might have caused a butterfly effect that fast-forwarded the Laxon Family''s fate. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Hey, Rachel. I am finished with everything. Should I go and bring back Ryder?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah. We will start cleaning up now, so wait like ten minutes before you come back.¡± ¡°Ten minutes? Got it.¡± Anyway, I needed to hand the Potion to Ryder anyway, so that will be good. ''Are you finally going to give Ryder the Potion?!'' ''Yeah, I am. And make sure to stay quiet. This matter will be delicate for Ryder. I will handle it.'' I warned Deus. As I stepped into my home, lonely silence welcomed me. ¡®Huh? Where¡¯s Ryder?¡¯ Panic rose in my mind as I realized that the house was lifeless. I checked the kitchen and the rooms, but there were no signs of him. As I entered the garden, I noticed Yuna and Ryu squealing. Sprawled in front of them, was an unmoving Ryder on the grass. I was about to rush to his side, thinking something was wrong, when Ryder suddenly spoke up. ¡°...you guys are so full of energy. I''m jealous.¡± His voice sounded weak and devoid of any hope. I was about to make my presence known but stopped as Ryder continued his melancholic monologue. ¡°You know I cannot remember a time when my body was not in pain. And as the curse took root, the pain just got worse and worse. But you know¡­the pain wasn''t even the worst part. It was Rachel and Grandpa. The way they looked at me with pity all the time, I hated it so much. So I decided to not talk about the pain. And just like, we all pretended that everything was normal. ¡± Tears rolled down his eyes as Ryder recalled all the lies he suffered. Ryu and Yuna, not knowing what to do, tried to lick his tears thinking Ryder''s pain would go away. The silver light of the full moon reflected off Ryder¡¯s pale skin, giving it a very sickly glow. Unlike the first time I had seen him, he had lost a lot of weight because of all the time he spent in the hospital over the past few weeks. His shirt was loosely fitted around his now-slender frame, as Ryder lay sprawled on the grass like a crestfallen angel. ¡®Appraisal!
Name: Ryder Briar Rank: Unawakened (Awakening Restricted) Status: Cursed Curse: Ryder¡¯s body has been cursed to be able to absorb mana from outside but never be able to Awaken. Soon his internal mana will overflow and cause a mana explosion leading to death. Time Until Death: 24 Hours, 13 Minutes
''He doesn''t have much time left!'' Deus urged me to give him the Potion. I silently took a seat on the grass. Sensing the disturbance beside him, quickly wiped his tears and sat up. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t see you enter the garden.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t find you in the house so I had to come out.¡± I replied softly. An awkward silence fell around us as Ryder gave me nervous glances, wondering if I had heard what he vented to the Spirits. ¡±Um¡­I-¡± Ryder began, trying to make excuses, but I quickly cut him off. ¡°You know, I once had a friend. I might even say we were best of friends¡­or, at least I thought we were. But, during our time in uni-, I mean at the Academy, there were people who bullied him. I tried to help him¡­but it ended badly. Very badly. One day, he just took his life. It was a normal day, like any other¡­and he was¡­just gone.¡± Ryder just listened in silence. He had never thought someone like Ray, who was so sociable with those around him, would ever have a past like that. ¡°You know, many people will curse me for saying this¡­But I really hated my friend for what he did. I always believed that if he ever had any problems, he would come and ask for my help. But, he never did...and that broke my trust in him.¡± I sadly smiled at Ryder. ¡°Selfish of me, isn¡¯t it? I just want to shift my guilt of not helping my friend onto someone else.¡± ¡°I d-don¡¯t think it was selfish. It sounds to me like you cared a lot about your friend.¡± ¡°I did. I cared for him a lot.¡± I gave a small nod, as I looked him straight in the eyes ¡°Many people who are suffering believe that it would be better for them to just leave rather than burden those around them. But you know...once you do that, the relationship you have with them will never be the same.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not like if I tell them anything will happen. I am still going to die anyway.¡± Ryder looked down as his eyes became blurry, large tears welling inside. In the novel, Ryder was only a plot element for the development of his sister, the female protagonist. His own thoughts had never been revealed and all the pain he had to go through was something no reader knew. But as I spent time in this world, I realized that, unlike my friend¡¯s novel, this world was far more complicated. A villain in the novel was just someone who missed the priest who took care of him. A girl, who had been executed falsely, wanted to run away with her brother, away from her toxic family. And the boy in front of me was someone whose only wish was to live past his seventeenth birthday but was too afraid to say it out loud. ¡°If you ask for help, it doesn¡¯t hurt anyone.¡± I advised him with earnest eyes. ¡°Who knows¡­maybe there is someone who can help you. All you need to do is ask!¡± There was something I had always wished to tell my friend. ¡®You just needed to ask and I would have done anything to help you.¡¯ But alas, time cannot be turned back, and Aries would never come back to life. The only thing I can do is prevent a tragedy like that from happening again. ¡°I-I want to live!¡± Ryder finally voiced his wish as the tears streamed from his eyes. Ryu and Yuna rubbed their faces on his legs, as Ryder''s tears continued to fall. A tiny smile appeared on my face on seeing the little boy finally muster his courage. ¡°Well since you have asked me for help, should I give you your birthday gift now?¡± ¡°G-gift?¡± Ryder was confused about why Ray was suddenly bringing up presents. I pulled out a blood-red vial from my dimensional ring and handed it over to him. ¡°This Potion will take care of all your problems.¡± Ryder looked at the tiny vial suspiciously. ¡°I don¡¯t know how this thing can help me?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you try it first?¡± I urged him. ¡°I promise you it''s not poisoned.¡± ¡°What use will it be to poison a dead man?¡± He uncorked the vial and downed the contents in one go. ¡®...¡¯ ¡®...¡¯ We stared at each other in awkward silence. Even the Spirits were quiet, wondering what was going on. I scratched my neck in nervousness. ''Hey, Deus! Why isn''t anything happening?'' ''Don''t ask me, it''s your Potion.'' I wasn¡¯t expecting something flashy but shouldn¡¯t there be some indication that the Potion was working? Suddenly¡­¡®Blargh!¡¯ Ryder quickly covered his mouth but black blood spilled from his mouth as he grabbed his stomach in pain. Chapter 42: Un-Cursed ¡°Aaahhh!¡± A blood-curdling scream escaped Ryder¡¯s lips, carrying over the entire neighborhood. ¡°Deus! What is happening?¡± I yelled, positioning his neck so he wouldn''t choke on his vomit. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Appraisal says his vitals are all normal.¡± Deus panicked, quickly checking the status screen for any abnormalities. ¡°Ryder!?¡± Behind me, Rachel and Misa jumped over the wall. Rachel quickly rushed to her brother''s side, pushing me away. ¡°Ryder! Ryder, stay with me. You are gonna be all right.¡± She begged as Ryder spasmed in her arms. ¡°What did you do?¡± Misa demanded an explanation, as I just stared in horror. Until now none of the Potions had shown any side effects so I naively believed that it would be the same this time as well. ¡°Blergh¡± Finally, Ryder vomited another pool of dark blood. But this time a black pearl was swimming in it. ¡®Crack!¡¯ The sphere broke into two pieces as soon as it left his body, releasing demonic energy. ¡°What is that?¡± Misa cautiously examined it, covering her hand in mana to pick it up. Whatever it was, now that it had gone out of Ryder¡¯s body, he seemed to have become more stable. Unconscious...but stable. Deus and I sighed in relief. ¡®The Potion was a success!¡¯ ¡®Whoosh!¡¯ A wave of mana burst out of Ryder¡¯s body. Now that the Curse was gone, the previously constrained mana had forced Ryder to Awaken. ''I wonder what the brother of the female lead is capable of?'' ¡®Appraisal!¡¯
Name: Ryder Briar Rank: E Stats:
  • Strength 2
  • Stamina 2
  • Agility 1
  • Perception 1
  • Magic Power 2
  • Intelligence 4.6
  • Charm 6.7
Skills:
  • Herald of Cataclysm(SS): Allows the user to summon natural disasters, bringing forth massive death and destruction. On a smaller scale, allows the user to completely manipulate their surroundings.
  • [Inherited] Dryad¡¯s Blessing (S): It increases the mana replenishment rate of the user if they are close to nature. In a forest, the user¡¯s mana will be almost unlimited.
  • Plant Manipulation(B): Allows the user to manipulate plants in the vicinity.
Potential Rank: SS Suitable Class: Berserker Mana Compatibility: Mana Compatibility:
  • Air: 100%
  • Earth: 100%
  • Fire: 100%
  • Water: 100%
¡®Oh, my god! Isn''t this guy a monster? He has the same skills as Rufus.¡¯ Deus yelled in my mind, his voice full of excitement. I agreed with him. Ryder was truly a monster. He might even become the next ¡®Nature¡¯s Sovereign¡¯ in the future. "And it certainly isn''t bad that such a strong individual is now indebted to me.'' But as I examined his Stats, I noticed something strange. Normally, when a person Awakens, all the active Stats begin with a 1, no matter how good their previous training had been. Yet Ryder''s Magic, Strength, and Stamina started with 2. ¡®Was it because his Awakening was suppressed by the Curse for so long?¡¯ As I examined Ryder¡¯s status screen, Misa and Rachel just stared in amazement at the miracle they had just witnessed. It was the first time in history that someone had survived their Curse. "Ryder, you are going to be all fine now!" Tears of joy streamed down Rachel''s face. ¡°How is this possible?¡± Misa, on the other hand, just stared in bewilderment. She turned to me, hoping for some answers. "...How?" ¡°You know what, maybe you should go and put him in bed. He doesn¡¯t look good.¡± I replied, trying to change the subject. Right on cue, Ryder let out a loud groan on the grass. ¡°Well, we are going to get him into bed, but you owe us some answers.¡± Misa decided to let it go, considering Ryder¡¯s condition. ¡°Rachel, I will help your brother up while you go and call his doctor. Tell them to bring some iron tablets since he might be feeling a bit anemic. And inform your grandfather too.¡± With a whirlwind the three were gone, but not before Misa warned me that she will have a talk with me later. And just like that, I found myself sitting in the serene garden with Deus. It was Deus who first spoke up. ¡°You never mentioned you had a history like that!¡± ¡°It''s only been a few months since we met each other, Deus. There are many things we don¡¯t know about each other.¡± ¡°That friend that died¡­ Was he the one who wrote the novel?¡± ¡°How did you¡­¡± I was surprised at Deus¡¯ sudden revelation. ¡°You left it open on your laptop. I didn¡¯t mean to snoop.¡± ¡°Sigh! It¡¯s okay.¡± Honestly, I was relieved that someone other than me knew what kind of world this was. It felt like a big weight had been removed from my mind. Deus decided to push forward. ¡°But how did you enter a novel? Your world must have some crazy magic there!¡± ¡°Actually...there is no magic in my world. It''s just like this Earth before the Great Catastrophe. Though the science is a bit more advanced.¡± I explained. "So how did you get here?" ¡°I don''t know! One day, I was drinking with my friends and this message popped up on my phone, asking if I wanted to go to a new world. My clumsy hands pressed yes, and the next thing I know, I found myself in Ray¡¯s body.¡± ¡°Wait, you are not the actual Ray?¡± Deus stared at me in shock. ¡°Nope.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I just came into this body on the orientation day of the Academy.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that like the prologue of the novel?¡± ¡°It is. And I don''t think it''s a coincidence either. Remember the Demon that attacked us in my house? She apparently knows the one who brought me here.¡± ¡°Okay, STOP! That is a lot of new information you are springing up on me in one day.¡± ¡°Well, you are the first person who I can talk to openly about this stuff. So it''s just coming out.¡± ¡°Still...It''s just...Wow. So are you going to find that Demon?¡± ¡°Well, yeah. I will have to find him if I want to get back home.¡± Silence filled up the garden. ¡°...You wanna leave? Why?¡± Deus'' tone suddenly dropped, when he heard my plan to leave. ¡°Well, because this isn¡¯t my world. Isn¡¯t it natural for me to want to go back home to my family?¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "But... you are the person I made a Spirit Contract with. I thought we will always stay together." "And I am sorry to leave you here alone." I apologized. "But I don''t want to stay in this world." "Is it because this world is your friend''s novel and not real?" "This world is as real as it can be, Deus. It''s just that staying here brings many bad memories, ones that I have suppressed for a very long time." Seeing the downhearted expression on my face, Deus decided to not push it. As I nuzzled in the grass, the memory of that day came back to my mind. The day I committed the worst crime I could against my friend. "Really? Was this novel so important to you?" I screamed at Aries'' computer. It was the night of his funeral when all the rituals had been completed. "Seriously, how could you kill yourself the minute you had completed your last chapter? Was this stupid web novel more important than talking to your friend?" It was an emotional time for me, and I did the most extreme thing I could have thought of at the time. "I hate this novel! I wish you had never completed it!" I yelled at the screen as I pressed ''DELETE''... * * * As the clock struck midnight, Rufus was sitting in his office. He had especially vacated his schedule that night so that he could celebrate his grandson¡¯s birthday. But as fate would have it, his precious time off was snatched away by his workload. ''Gosh, sometimes I wish I had never taken this job.'' ¡®Knock! Knock!¡¯ Liam entered the room, placing yet another tall pile of documents on his desk. ¡°This is the last of the evidence we have collected against the Laxon family.¡± Rufus just sighed at his never-ending workload. ¡°Should I just retire, Liam?¡± ¡°Retirement? All of a sudden?¡± Liam was surprised at his Master¡¯s sudden plans, but it certainly wasn''t unexpected. Among the First Generation of Heroes that had Awakened during the 1960 Catastrophe, only ten had survived, including Rufus. All of them were great SS Rank Heroes, yet Rufus was the only one amongst them who was still on duty. ¡°Even if I may look young, I am still over 90 years old, you know. The mental fatigue is catching up to me. So, sometimes, I just feel like I should stop.¡± With a small voice, he added. ¡°And¡­I no longer have a reason to continue as President.¡± The public believed that the reason Rufus stayed as President for so many years was because he wanted to protect humanity. But only those around him knew the real reason why Rufus stayed active, despite his fellow Heroes retiring. It was because he wanted to find a cure for his grandson. Liam, who was responsible for reporting Master Ryder¡¯s hospital records to Rufus knew that very soon Ryder would succumb to his Curse. It was heartbreaking for him to see Rufus leading the Hero League instead of being a grandfather to Rachel and Ryder. ¡°I think it¡¯s a great idea, Sir. You should take Miss Rachel and Master Ryder with you and go on a relaxing vacation.¡± Liam answered in a supportive voice. ¡®Ring! Ring!¡± Suddenly, Liam¡¯s phone began to ring. ¡°Miss Rachel! Hello! ¡± Liam greeted her. Rufus stood up hearing his granddaughter¡¯s name. ¡°Is it Rachel? Did something happen?¡± Rufus eavesdropped on the conversation as Liam tried to make out the words on the call. ¡°Sir Liam¡­sobs¡­Ryder¡­he¡¯s¡­sobs.¡± But amongst Rachel¡¯s sobbing, Liam was barely able to make what she was trying to say. ¡°Miss Rachel. Please calm down. Did something happen to Ryder?¡± Liam asked once again. ¡°Did something happen to Ryder? I am coming, sweetie.¡± Without listening to the rest of the conversation, Rufus quickly rushed out of the office. ¡°Wait, Sir Rufus. That¡¯s not-¡± Despite Liam¡¯s yelling, Rufus was already gone. ¡°Miss Rachel, don¡¯t worry. Sir Rufus and I will be there soon.¡± He quickly cut the call and rushed behind his Master. Ten minutes later, Rufus burst through the door. ¡°Rachel? Ryder? Where are you?¡± Rachel was shocked at seeing her grandfather so soon. ¡°Grandpa, isn¡¯t your office like 12 miles from here?¡± ¡°I ran!¡± Rufus explained, still huffing from his sprint. ¡°Now, what happened to Ryder.¡± ¡°Oh, Ryder! He¡¯s sleeping in his room!¡± Rachel replied, unworried. ¡°Then why were you crying on the phone?¡± Rufus looked in confusion. He was preparing his heart for the worst when he heard her crying on the phone, but here she was, completely fine. Rachel¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Grandpa! Ryder is cured!¡± She announced in an excited voice, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. A forlorn look appeared on his face. ¡°Rachel, however much we wish for it, a Curse cannot be cured. You must be mistaken about something.¡± ¡®It looks like the loss of her brother was too much for her.¡¯ Rufus decided to find the best trauma therapist on the Continent when he goes back to his office. But Rachel shook her head. ¡°No, Grandpa. He¡¯s really fine. Come here!¡± She took his hand and dragged him into the room. Inside, Misa and the others had circled Ryder¡¯s bed. The blanket was steadily rising and falling, with Ryder peacefully sleeping like a certain fairy tale princess. But as Rufus examined his body, realization struck him. ¡®Wait! Is that mana coming out of his body?¡¯ The Curse that Ryder was inflicted with, prevented him from ever Awakening in his life. The accumulated mana in his body was the reason why he was in constant pain which would eventually lead to his death. Yet, here it was. Mana channels had opened up in his body, like any other normal Awakened, and mana was steadily circulating in them. ¡°How did this happen?¡± He still couldn''t believe what he was seeing in front of his eyes. ¡°Sir Rufus? Miss Rachel? We are here!¡± Liam¡¯s voice came out of the living room. ¡°Come inside!¡± Rachel called out. Liam entered the room. In tow with him was Ryder¡¯s doctor, Devi. ¡°We met at the entrance.¡± Liam explained. Rufus decided to leave the matter to the medical expert. ¡°Devi! Please examine him quickly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mister President. I will do my best to help Ryder.¡± She reassured him. Devi took out a small device and activated it. As it stayed afloat above Ryder¡¯s bed, a laser came out, scanning his entire body and vitals. She pulled out her laptop where the data was being transferred. As she read the data for a few minutes, a sudden shriek came out. ¡°Oh. my god!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Rufus asked, concerned that something else had happened to Ryder. ¡°The Curse¡­It¡¯s completely gone.¡± ¡°How is that possible? Did you say you couldn''t do anything? Is this some sort of pseudo-fix before he...¡± ¡°Calm down, Mister Rufus. Ryder is fine. Well, I will have to take him to the hospital to run some tests, but as far as it looks, Ryder is completely cured.¡± Dr. Devi still couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing. ¡°Congratulations, President! Your grandson is the first ever person to survive a Curse.¡± Rufus was still speechless to believe that all his prayers were coming true. It was too good to be true and his emotions were running wild. So he decided to hand over the reins to the logical side of his brain. ¡°Miss Devi, I would like for you to call an ambulance and take Ryder to the hospital immediately. Run whatever tests you would like to run, as long as they don¡¯t harm his health.¡± ¡°Um, sure. But can I ask what kind of cure did you find, President? It can very well be one of the greatest discoveries in medical history.¡± Devi was bursting with excitement and scientific curiosity. She could very well be the first to research this latest discovery. She could imagine hearing the scientists at the Medical Research Institute bursting with anger. But the disappointment that etched her heart next was irreparable. Rufus spoke up. ¡°I will reveal that to you later when and if I deem it necessary. Now please leave for the hospital.¡± If it was anyone else, she might have pushed it to get some clue about the cure. But since her opponent was the Rufus Briar, she decided to be patient. ¡°I will call them quickly.¡± She quickly rushed out of the room with her phone. Not even five minutes later, a private ambulance was outside their house. The paramedics quickly wheeled Ryder in and left with Devi in tow. Rufus then chased the others out of the living room, except Rachel and Misa, and forced them into another room. ¡°Rachel. Misa. Now tell me, what happened.¡± With their limited knowledge of the events, the two explained it to Rufus. ¡°So, you left my grandson, who had been Cursed by the Fallen, alone...with someone whose family is to be arrested for associating with the Fallen?¡± Rufus summarised. The fury in his tone was loud and clear for Misa and Rachel to hear. But Rachel gathered her courage and decided to speak up for Ray. ¡°But, Grandpa, Ray is not in contact with the Chaos Alliance. He was even kicked out of the Laxon Family. Would he really help our Family if he was with the Alliance? And if what Miss Devi said is true, then he also cured Ryder¡¯s Curse. He''s our saviour.¡± Rufus just let out a deep sigh, his tone becoming slightly softer. ¡°Rachel, the world is full of illusions that you might not wish were true. The Laxon Family could have easily pulled a stunt to shift suspicion off of Ray and used him to deal with things. You should have been more careful around him. Especially when it concerns your brother.¡± ¡°Sir Rufus, I am to blame. I let my guard down since I was the one who personally investigated Ray.¡± Misa decided to step in. This was a happy occasion for the Briar Family. She didn¡¯t want them to fight over what should have been a happy occasion. ¡°I am not scolding her, Misa. I am just advising her that she needs to be careful.¡± Rufus reassured her. He lightly patted his granddaughter¡¯s head. ¡°Sweetie, why don¡¯t you go to the hospital and look after your brother.¡± Rachel nodded. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I have something to do.¡± He turned to Misa. ¡°Please drive her to the hospital.¡± ¡°Yessir.¡± ¡°Everybody come out now!¡± Rufus yelled at the people that had been pushed inside the room. Jacob, Mike, Izzy, and Emma opened the door cautiously, afraid that Rufus would scold them this time. Surprisingly, Rufus'' tone had gone much softer, though there was still some rage in it. ¡°I thank you all for coming to celebrate Ryder¡¯s birthday with him.¡± He then looked at the table and the food that had been set up. ¡°Please enjoy the refreshments and feel free to rest the night here. I would be visiting Ray alone now.¡± With the last line, a shiver ran down their spines. It was clear to all what he was implying. ¡®I will be interrogating Ray now, so nobody dare to interrupt me.¡¯ A singular ¡®Gulp!¡¯ echoed across the silent living room as all of them prayed for his safety. Before Rufus left the door, he turned around and gave them a final warning. ¡°None of you are to speak about Ryder¡¯s condition to anyone outside. It will be considered a National Secret until I deem it otherwise.¡± The six of them quickly nodded their heads. Chapter 43: A Wave of Change Ray was playing with Yuna and Ryu when a loud voice called out to him from the living room. ¡°Ray Laxon, come out here!¡± Rufus¡¯ loud voice thundered across the entire house. Deus and I ran back inside, frightened by Rufus'' temper. The President looked towering while sitting on the sofa, his posture that of a majestic Egyptian pharaoh on his throne. When we came in, his eyes darted to Deus. He raised his eyebrow giving me a suspicious look. ¡°I see you have entered into a contract with a Spirit.¡± I had completely forgotten about hiding Deus from him. ¡°I was lucky enough to come across one during my trip to the Archipelago.¡± I quickly made up an excuse. Rufus decided to accept my half-baked explanation. ¡°Have a seat!¡± He nodded towards the couch opposite him, and Deus and I quickly rushed to our seats. ¡°Are you aware that the Hero League is investigating the Aurum Guild, Mister Laxon?¡± Rufus got straight to the point. The tension in the air was so strong, a metal coin would have folded in half. ¡°Y-yes, I am aware.¡± I answered, flustered from the eagle-sharp gaze Rufus was staring at me with. ¡°Then you are aware that everyone in your family is under investigation!¡± I nodded again. ¡°Can I ask how you were able to obtain something this rare without any one of your investigators finding out? ¡± Hearing his suspecting tone, I knew this was my chance. My answer now would decide whether Rufus would spare me as his grandson''s savior or execute me as a criminal. ¡°I developed the cure myself.¡± I spoke out the truth. Lying and saying that I found the cure in a Dungeon would have been more believable. But if Rufus asked me follow-up questions about the Dungeon, there was no way I wouldn¡¯t have messed up. Rufus was the President of the Hero League. He knew all the Dungeons that has ever been discovered on the Human Continent. It wouldn¡¯t be hard for him to figure out I was lying. ¡°Did you research with the scientists in the Alliance? Because I am certain that none of the scientists in the League were ever close to finding one.¡± ¡°I developed it all by myself. I used the resources provided by the Aurum Guild, but I can assure you no help from the Alliance was taken. I am not associated with them either.¡± ¡°How can I believe you on that?¡± His eyes were still full of suspicion. ¡°Because the Demons would never agree on a cure for the Curse being researched on.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Rufus¡¯ expression instantly softened up on hearing the irrefutable logic. "I am glad that such a great Alchemist is our ally." ¡®I have been had!¡¯ Seeing him so quick to change his tune, I quickly understood that Rufus was never angry. The moment a cure for the Curse had been developed, the Demons would lose their one advantage against other races. So there is no way that someone who used such a cure on the President¡¯s grandson would ever work for the Alliance. He just wanted to know how its source, which was why he was intimidating me to find some answers. Next, something shocking happened. Rufus got down on his knees. The person who had reached the peak of all humanity was on his knees. For me. I quickly got up in shock. But the words that came out were completely unexpected. ¡°As a grandfather, I am in debt to you for saving my grandson. Thank you! Thank you very much.¡± I realized that no matter how strong one may be, they would always be a human when it comes to their loved ones. Hearing his sincerity, I could feel myself blushing. ¡°It was no big deal. Ryder is a good friend of mine, too.¡± Seeing that I had accepted his gratitude, Rufus took back his seat. ¡°Now let¡¯s get down to business. How can I repay you for saving Ryder? Ask me for anything.¡± I stared in disbelief at how fast Rufus changed roles between a grandfather and a businessman. I decided to bring out my business tone as well. ¡°Well, I know it is a rule that those who are guilty of cooperating with the Fallen receive the death penalty along with their family. I would love it if you can make a small exemption to the rule." ¡°If you are asking me to drop the charges, you know I can¡¯t do that. Associating with the Chaos Alliance is a crime worthy of the worst deaths, I can''t just forget about it.¡± ¡°I am not asking you to forgive them. I am just asking you to make sure that my sister and I aren¡¯t dragged into it. Since we have been kicked out of the family and no longer use the Laxon name, I am sure you can manage something.¡± Rufus gave it a brief thought. ¡°I will try my best. Is there anything else you want?¡± ¡°Well, it would be helpful if you didn¡¯t mention my involvement in your son''s recovery. I don¡¯t want to be the target of the Alliance and the Demon Race¡¯s anger.¡± ¡°I will make sure that everyone involved keeps quiet about this matter.¡± Thus, our deal was quickly concluded. As Rufus got up to leave, he gave me one final respectful bow. ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough for saving my grandson¡¯s life. If you ever find yourself in trouble, as long as it''s not too grave, I will do my best to assist you.¡± ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡± And just like that I had gained a very important connection. ¡°And I will advise you to keep your and your sister¡¯s heads down for the next few days. The world is going to change in many ways from tomorrow.¡± ¡°I will make sure to warn Lizzy.¡± Once Rufus left, I melted into the couch in relief. ¡°Wow, that is one scary dude.¡± Deus, who acted frozen during our entire conversation, commented once the air was clear. ¡°Yeah, he was¡­¡± I agreed. The next day, two waves of shock and surprise spread across the Five Cities. The first great news was the ¡®Awakening of Ryder Briar¡¯, making him the first person in all the universe to be able to defeat the Curse, the one factor that made Demons to be such a terrifying species. Reporters swarmed outside the League Headquarters, requesting more information on this cure. But the only statement that Rufus released was that the Cure was a one-time-use Artifact from a highly-classified Dungeon. Many Guilds argued that the Hero League was trying to get a monopoly of the Curse-Breaking Artifacts, but after one meeting with Rufus, they all came out defeated. The second great news was the ¡®Betrayal & Arrest of the Laxon Family¡¯. On the morning of Ryder¡¯s birthday, as the entire house was sleeping, the loud doorbell woke everyone up. As they groggily came out of their rooms to see who was disturbing their sleep, I opened the door. Awaiting outside were two officers from the League. ¡°Ray Laxon! Isabella Laxon! We hope for your cooperation in the Investigation of the Laxon Family.¡± Despite Rufus¡¯ assurance, I knew there was no bypassing the fact that we had to be brought in to be interrogated. It would be best to cooperate with them if we didn¡¯t want to be escorted in handcuffs. I turned to look up at the first floor where everyone else was gathered. ¡°Izzy, go and get dressed. We are going to the Hero League.¡± ¡°Wait. What? Why do you have to go?¡± ¡°Yeah. We have nothing to do with the Laxon name anymore. Those idiots kicked us out.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Mike and Izzy began to argue, but I stopped them. ¡°Izzy, we will be fine. Don¡¯t worry, I got this. Now go and get dressed.¡± I turned back to the cops. ¡°We will be out in a few minutes.¡± ¡°Sure, but do know, if you run, we won¡¯t continue to be this courteous with you.¡± ¡°Run? Did someone run away?¡± ¡°Your younger brother, Edward did.¡± One of the cops answered in an irritated tone. ¡°Honestly, according to protocol, we should arrest you right away, but Sir Rufus ordered us against it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will be cooperative since we have nothing to worry about.¡± I emphasized the last part since Mike and Izzy still looked worried that I was being so collegial with the police for no reason. As I quickly changed into a suit, Deus slid up my arm and handed me a pen drive. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I asked, examining the outdated piece of tech. ¡°It¡¯s a gift from Jacob. He said you can use this to prove your innocence if you need. Contains all the proof that whatever illegal activities Edward and Heron were doing, you and Izzy had no part in it.¡± ¡°How did he get his hands on this?¡± Wasn¡¯t Jacob just an island priest that died in the novel? ¡°Long story. I will tell you later.¡± Deus shrugged it off. ¡°Well, cross your fingers, and let¡¯s hope that the favour you did to Rufus will be enough to save your life.¡± ¡°Do you even have any fingers to cross?¡± I wondered, but Deus left without answering. * * * ¡®Slam!¡¯ ¡°So what are you trying to tell me, Mr. Laxon?¡± The investigator slammed the file on the table. ¡°Are you seriously saying you didn¡¯t know what your brother was up to?¡± As soon as we got to the League Headquarters, Izzy and I were quickly separated to be asked questions. I didn''t mind their intimidation tactics, but I hoped they won''t use such tricks on a minor. ''Let''s just trust Rufus for now.'' Looking back at the angry officer in front of me, I just calmly replied. ¡°First of all, my name isn¡¯t even Laxon anymore. It was a pretty big scandal, I am surprised you don¡¯t know about it.¡± ¡°Oh, I do know. Are you sure it wasn¡¯t a trick your father devised so that you can go under the radar and do all his dirty work for him?¡± ¡°Officer, are you not at all familiar with the news at all? Everybody knows how much my father and my entire family looked down on me. Do you really think they will trust me to do anything for them?¡± ¡°So you are telling me your father''s connections weren''t the reason how a C-Rank such as yourself got to teach in a prestigious school like Star Academy?¡± I was offended. ¡°I trained very hard to get to my C+ Rank, you know. I hope you don''t just dismiss it." The officer just rolled his eyes at my protest. "And no, the reason why I got in was that the Academy Director was doing your President a favour. So that Misa will easily be able to investigate me. And she didn¡¯t find anything. Shocker, right? Why? Because I am innocent.¡± ¡°So you are really saying that Edward Martin alone was behind all the dealings with the Chaos Alliance?¡± ¡°Yes, he was. Didn¡¯t you go through all the evidence I provided?¡± "The pen drive? I have to say, it was quite an interesting way to submit your proof. What are you, ninety?" I decided to let the cop be satisfied with his small victory. Honestly, even I didn¡¯t know what was in that pen drive that Jacob had given me, but I sure hope whatever was in there didn¡¯t do anything that might harm my chances. As the interrogation continued, a second officer came into the investigation room, calling the previous officer out. I couldn¡¯t hear their conversation because of the soundproofed walls. After a minutes of waiting, there was a loud bang on the adjacent wall, shaking the entire room. Then the second officer came in. ¡° Mr. Laxon. You are free to go. But do remember that you may be brought in for questioning again at any time.¡± I could see the dissatisfaction on his face, but I politely ignored it. ¡°Thank you. And is Izzy going to go back home with me?¡± ¡°Yes, she will. You will find her in the lobby.¡± As I walked down the corridor, I heard something unexpected. ¡°Listen, I understand your frustration, but all the evidence points to Edward Martin being the only culprit. And the President is already firm on his decision. We can¡¯t do anything now.¡± It was the officer that had just released me. The first officer yelled in anger. ¡°But still, they are letting the entire Laxon Family go just like this?¡± ¡®Wait, did he just say that the entire Laxon Family is being let out?¡¯ I was confused about the decision that Rufus had made. "Hey, brother!" But before I could the rest of the conversation, Izzy waved at me from the bench. The two of us rushed back home so that we won''t encounter any of our family. ¡°Thank you so much for that pen drive.¡± I expressed my gratitude to Jacob the moment I entered the house. ¡°Well, I am glad it was of help.¡± Jacob greeted me with a smile. ¡°Mr. Ray! I knew you were innocent.¡± Mike had regained his energetic spirit. ¡°Thank you for the support, Mike. Though the final decision is yet to be seen.¡± Three days later, The Hero League finally let out their official statement. The decision was unexpected, to say the least, and the perfect prey for the media to pounce on. ¡®The Laxon Family To Be Released! Edward Martin On The Wanted List For Fallen!¡¯ ¡®Aurum Guild To Be Shut Down. All Assets To Be Taken Over By The Hero League!¡¯ ¡®Was There A Hidden Bargain Done By Heron Laxon & The Hero League President?¡¯ There were mixed opinions about the Hero League¡¯s decision, and many tried to theorize that Heron and Rufus had made a secret deal. They probably never thought that the one whom Rufus made a deal with was not Heron, but me. Well, to be fair, in their eyes, Ray was useless, both as a Hero and as a Laxon, for the past many years. Thankfully, unlike after the banquet held by The Aurum Guild, the son they were attacking this time was Edward. The moment the police arrived at his doors, he took flight. The guy wasn¡¯t even smart enough to hide his demonic energy, so now he has officially been branded a Fallen and is on the Wanted List. As I scrolled the news, Deus complained beside me on reading the articles. ¡°Why the hell are they releasing your entire family? Those bastards deserve to die. I am going to Rufus right now and telling him to change his decision.¡± ¡°Calm down. He made that decision because of me.¡± ¡°For you? Does he not know how your family treats you? Those parents of yours didn¡¯t even blink when they signed off your and Izzy¡¯s names in the family.¡± ¡°If we would have been the only ones to be released then everyone would have figured out that I was the one that did Rufus his favour. It won''t be hard for them to figure out what the favour might have been. It''s best for all of us, and Heron will now be the target of the Demon Race''s rage.¡± I explained. ¡°But don¡¯t you feel bad for what happened to Izzy?¡± I could see that he was unsatisfied with how all this ended. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. And besides, all the assets of the Laxon Family have been taken away. Trust me, they will fall much faster than you can imagine.¡± ¡°I suppose that is true.¡± Deus decided to accept the outcome. ¡°So what are your plans now?¡± ¡°Well, I will be making more preparations for my survival now.¡± ¡°More? Didn¡¯t you remove your death flag already?¡± I could only smile at his naivety. ¡°My dear friend¡­You have no idea what¡¯s going to happen in this world soon!¡±
On the night before Ryder''s birthday, it was a time for celebration on the Demons¡¯ Planet, Tartaros. Soon Earth, the final planet of their universe will have enough mana density to be able to inhabit the stronger Demons. The Demons and the Fallen that the Humans had fought until now were just foot soldiers, but they will finally get a taste of the Demon Race¡¯s true power. Of course, the medium and high-ranked Demons will still have several restrictions placed on their abilities and skills due to the limited mana on Earth. But this also meant that they were one step closer to fulfilling the wish of their King and bringing all the planets in the universe under the rule of the Demon Race. On such a joyous day, Nyx and Nero were peacefully having a tea party in her castle. ¡°So, Nero, what are your plans when you go to Earth?¡± Nyx sprung the question. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe I will visit that human who my contractor Cursed.¡± Nero replied. ¡°The Curse is going to take his life soon, and I would love to see what the terror and hopelessness in his eyes look like in his last moments.¡± Nyx hid a small smile. ¡°I have a feeling that the experience will be very memorable.¡± As Nyx¡¯s servant poured more tea into his cup, a wave of strong pain struck Nero. ¡°Sir Nero, are you okay?¡± Kit panicked as Nero clutched his heart, his mana was reining out of control. Nyx patiently watched as her companion twisted in pain in front of her. ¡®The pieces are finally falling into place.¡¯ A burst of black blood spouted out of Nero¡¯s mouth splattering over Kit¡¯s uniform. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Nyx finally decided to step up. She handed a handkerchief to her maid. ¡°Kit, go get yourself cleaned up. I will handle Nero.¡± As Kit left for the bathroom, Nyx placed her hand on Nero''s heart. A burst of demonic energy spread from her palm taking over Nero''s unstable energy and forcing it to calm down. ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s gone. That Curse is gone!¡± Nero yelled in desperation. ¡°It activated already?¡± Nyx joyfully pretended to be ignorant of the matter. ¡°NO! The Curse is gone. Somebody broke it. And my power disappeared with it too.¡± Nero continued his screeching. ¡°I am a freaking C Rank now.¡± ¡°But a Demon¡¯s Curse can¡¯t be broken?¡± Nyx hoped that her acting was satisfactory. ¡°I don''t know how this is possible, but we need to inform the Dukes about this.¡± ¡°Sure. I will go and inform the Duke of Death about the matter. Nero, you go down to Earth and check what is happening with that human of yours.¡± ¡°I will try to come back as soon as possible after checking out the situation.¡± Taking out his small wings, Nero quickly took to the skies. "No worries...Take your sweet time with it." Nyx whispered to the winds. ¡°Is everything all right, Madam?¡± Kit came out, her dress still ruined. ¡°Everything is alright.¡± Nyx replied, staring at the spot Nero where had just disappeared. ¡°Kit, take care of the castle with your sister. I have something to inform the Duke.¡± "I understand, Madam!" ¡®I can¡¯t wait to see the chaos Master will bring to the world.¡¯ With a scary sneer, Nyx disappeared into the clouds, with her bat black wings. Chapter 44: Epilogue (End of Volume 1) ¡°Is anyone there?¡± Ray called out through the large, transparent door. Like the past six months, he was once again greeted by complete silence. He turned back, defeated, to the room in which he had found himself magically transported months ago. The room was grand and was luxuriously decorated. At one corner, there was a huge bed topped with pillows as fluffy as clouds. Overlooking the bed, a large balcony provided breathtaking views of gorgeous snow-capped mountains. In another corner of the room stood a dining table made of Elven oak. He recognized it since his Father¡¯s office door was made with the same material. The plates on the table were enchanted to summon any food he wished for on command and had the handy feature of cleaning themselves as well. Seeing all these luxuries in one room, one would imagine he was living the life of royalty. But Ray immediately knew what it was. It was the life of a doll. A doll, beautifully cared for, purely for the amusement of a child. Ray¡¯s gaze lingered on the balcony and the tempting freedom it offered. He would have attempted to jump from it ages ago, but there was a significant problem stopping him in his tracks. ¡®Status!¡¯
Name: Happy Title: The One Whose Body Was Taken Rank: E Stats:
  • Strength 1
  • Stamina 1
  • Agility 1
  • Perception 1
  • Magic Power 1
  • Intelligence 8.8
  • Charm 5
===Memory Synchronisation: 100% === Abilities:
  • Hand-to-Hand Combat (¡ï¡ï¡ï):
Coordinates the body for easy movements and helps the user to use their body to fight more efficiently. Allows the user to easily learn basic martial arts techniques. As mastery increases, it will allow the user to subconsciously dodge dangers. [Beginner Level]
  • Brahma Sword Art (¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î):
A sword art that was created to create. With each swing, the user can materialize their mana. Upon mastery, the user will be able to materialize mana into their surroundings and change the terrain temporarily. [Beginner Level] Skills:
  • Gold Manipulation(B): Allows the user to manipulate gold in the vicinity.
As a C Ranker, he probably would have gotten away with a few broken bones. But with his current Stats, he was no better than an ordinary person. He would be flattened like a pancake. ¡®And what the hell is wrong with my status screen? The name¡¯s changed, and what¡¯s with this weird Title? Is it because of what happened to me when I was kidnapped?¡¯ Ray turned towards the mirror, still unfamiliar with the reflection that greeted him. Instead of his usual dark blue hair and eyes, they had darkened to a deep black. The few muscles he had barely maintained were now gone and his figure had turned somewhat scrawny. The thing most strange to him in that mirror was the face that was staring back at him. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. It was the most familiar and unfamiliar face he had ever seen. The day he found himself in this peculiar room, the memories of the man behind the mirror flooded his mind. But they made no sense to him. A world without magic, monsters, or demons. And that novel. What was that about? His body slumped down in defeat over all the unanswered questions. ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore! Somebody just come and help me, please!¡± He yelled in frustration. ¡°It seems the accommodations I provided you with were unsatisfactory.¡± A mysterious voice suddenly called out. Ray looked up in surprise. For months he had been screaming beyond the glass door, but this was the first time he had ever received a response. ¡°Who''s there?¡± Ray quickly asked. He didn¡¯t want the voice to vanish after it had finally reached out to him. ¡°I am here, Mr. Laxon.¡± The voice called out to him from behind. Ray turned back in shock to find a cloaked figure sitting cross-legged on his bed. He hadn''t even realized that someone had appeared in the room. Ray slowly picked himself up from the floor. His Stats were busted, but Ray could still see that whoever was in front of him was no ordinary person. The most surprising fact was the energy that was radiating from inside the cloak. It was subtle, the cloak doing its best to hide the presence, but to Ray who had tested hundreds of Potions and become highly sensitive to mana, it was easy to recognise what kind of energy the man in front of him was exuding. Demonic Energy! ¡°You are a Demon?!¡± Ray was shocked at his discovery. He had been imprisoned by the Demon Race. The Demon, on the other hand, clapped in delight. ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t think you would recognize it so easily. I can''t believe even A-Rank Artifacts like this Cape of Maya couldn''t fool you. I did good bringing you here." The Demon''s hungry gaze aggressively examined him, like a wolf checking out its prey. ¡°What do the Demons want from me?¡± ¡°The Demons? They don¡¯t want anything with you.¡± There was genuine confusion in his voice that even Ray got caught off-guard for a moment. ¡°So, you are saying it has nothing to do with that Curse-Breaking Potion I made?¡± That was the only reason why the Demons would capture someone as insignificant as him. "If you let me out of here, I can promise you that I will burn the recipe for that Potion." It was impractical anyway since the ingredients for the recipe weren''t something anyone could ever find. ¡°What? Why would you destroy years of your research?¡± But the reply that came out of him was something he never expected. "Didn''t you guys capture me because of that Potion I made?" "No way. The Demons don''t even know something like that exists. Yet, at least." ¡°Then why the hell am I here?!¡± That was the one question that had been gnawing at him the past months he had been isolated. But the Demon just shrugged his question like it was no big deal. ¡°No reason. I had to pick somebody and you seemed the most desperate to get out of your life.¡± ¡°Excuse me? I had a good life out there. I was offered a position as a Professor at the Star Academy, who, by the way, will be looking for me by now. So you better let me go.¡± A giggle escaped the Demon¡¯s lips. ¡°I am sorry, but I don¡¯t think anyone is looking for you, Ray. I made some pretty good arrangements to make sure no one knows you are gone." ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He tried to demand more answers but the Demon''s attitude made it clear that the discussion was over. ¡°You know, you are lucky to be here. Soon, the human world as you know it, won¡¯t exist. After that, I don''t think anyone will ever realize you were gone.¡± ¡°Do you think the humans will just let you invade our planet?¡± Ray just scoffed at him. "We have the other Races on our side. Don''t think it will be easy for you." The Demon just giggled under the cloak. "Ray, you have no idea what we have in store for you. Though, I don''t think you will ever find out, being trapped in here and all." "What did you say?" He tried to grab his collar, but the Cloak slumped in his hand, the person inside gone just as fast as he had arrived. ¡°Toodles!¡± The loud voice echoed across the room one last time, and Ray was once again left all alone. ¡®I don¡¯t know what that Demon is up to, but I can¡¯t stay here.¡¯ This was no time for him to stay in this stupid dollhouse and wait for help to come. If what the Demon said was true, it looks like the Academy didn''t even realize that he was missing. ''But how do I get out here?'' As Ray fiddled with the discarded Cloak, his gaze moved to the balcony. ¡®Hmm...Aren¡¯t A-Rank Artifacts supposed to be pretty sturdy? Surely it withstand a free fall from a big height.¡¯ * * * A few hours later, two Demon Guards were making rounds near the corridor of the guest suite. ¡°Hey, you want to check what¡¯s inside that room?¡± The first guard asked, excitedly. "I heard a guest was staying there." ¡°Are you nuts? The Duke especially warned us to stay away from that room.¡± The second guard quickly tried to bury the reckless idea. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be a wuss. One little peek won¡¯t hurt anyone.¡± The first guard dismissed his friend¡¯s worries. ¡°Hmm¡­Hey, was this room supposed to be empty all this time?¡±